March 18, 2004: Canada Baycol Case Reaches Tentative Settlement

Bayer obtained a temporary settlement with quite a number of Canadians who filed legal claims for injuries caused by the recalled anti-cholesterol drug called Baycol. If these cases are approved by the court, Bayer would be paying for about $10,000 for settlement of average cases and a maximum of about $175,000 in most severe claims.

January 2004: Bayer Has Settled More Than 2,000 Baycol-Related Claims

The Bayer AG, the producer of anti-cholesterol medicine Baycol, claims that as of January 2004, it has settled about 2,059 Baycol-related claims outside the court since the recall of the drug in August 2001. Bayer also declared that they are still facing more than 10,000 lawsuits in the USA which are filed by individuals who asserted that they have been injured as a result of using Baycol.

December 15, 2003: Illinois Judge Declines Nationwide Baycol Class Action

There is a state court judge in Illinois who denied a certification of a countrywide class action involving former users of Baycol, the recalled anti-cholesterol drug by Bayer. The judge found so many differences in the laws from one state to another over the claims, particularly on consumer fraud, medical monitoring, and violation of implied warranty.  The main plaintiff of the case wants to represent a cluster of thousands of injured people as a result of taking Baycol.

December 12, 2003: Baycol MDL Judge Halts State Class Actions

The judge who is supervising the federal multidistrict Baycol litigation against the Bayer Company stops the potential state court class action suits in Florida and Michigan.  While class representatives in these states disputed otherwise, Judge Michael J. David resolved that the dollar amount involved in the Baycol controversy easily surpassed the $75,000 level where the state court cases are pre-empted by the federal court’s jurisdiction, which means that the Florida and Michigan plaintiffs will be able to proceed in the federal MDL action.

December 12, 2003: Baycol Judge Denies Bayer’s Access to Doctors

The judge who is overseeing the federal multidistrict Baycol litigation rejected Bayer’s request to conduct private and informal interviews with the physicians who treated the plaintiffs with the use of Baycol. The decision was based on the chances that private medical information might be improperly revealed.