Trial Court Properly Excluded Baycol Adverse Event Reports

PHILADELPHIA - A Pennsylvania trial court did not err in excluding adverse event reports that show an elevated risk of rhadomyolysis stemming from the combination of Baycol with Gemfibrozil, because they are 'unreliable and not scientifically verified," a Pennsylvania Superior Court majority has ruled. Pauley v. Bayer Corp., No. 2681 EDA 2005 (Pa. Super.).

In a June 8 opinion, the majority explained that due to the reports' anecdotal nature, drug makers have no duty to inform physicians of 'comparative AERs.'

George Pauley has a medical history of hypertriglyceridemia and beginning in 1999, cardiologist Dr. Peter Caples, prescribed a combination of …