Trasylol Death and Injury Possibly Exceeds 10,000 in Florida

Fort Myers, FLOn March 3, 2008 it was revealed by a Florida law firm that the injuries and deaths caused by the drug Trasylol in Florida likely exceed 10,000. These 10,000 have either died or have been severely crippled by the various side effects associated with the drug. These side effects include heart attack, stroke, and renal failure.

Taken off of the market in November 2007, Trasylol was commonly used in patients undergoing heart bypass surgery. Most who received the drug did not know they received it until sometime after the procedure or never knew at all. The drug was taken off the market in November because the German manufacturer, Bayer AG, did not make the side effects known. The company knew that the drug was not safe for use in people and had knowledge that the drug caused approximately 1,000 patient deaths per month.

Tragically, there are patients who had bypass surgery and are now having to have dialysis on a regular basis. Many have lost loved ones to kidney failure, heart attack or stroke and some still do not know that they received the drug during their surgery. Many of them had no idea what hit them, which means they had no idea why their kidneys have failed after their heart surgery. Some who are experiencing kidney failure probably still have no idea as to what caused their kidney failure, but if they did undergo heart bypass surgery before November 2007, it is very possible that they were given Trasylol. A sign that Trasylol may be the culprit is if the kidney failure occurred shortly after the heart surgery.

What Trasylol was designed to do was slow bleeding during heart bypass surgery to minimize the need for blood. It has been used in approximately two thirds of bypass surgeries despite the fact there were more effective medications that are cheaper than Trasylol. It is estimated that Trasylol has a 100% chance of producing dangerous side effects and, in some cases, the chance of dangerous side effects reaches as high as 200%.

Bayer still continues to defend the performance of the drug amidst the accusations that it creates severe side effects. However, their own research provided information regarding side effects and Bayer failed to make that information available to the FDA in September 2006 at a meeting. The reason why Bayer said they did not present the findings to the FDA was because they were still analyzing the results to be sure that they were correct. When the findings were finally presented to the FDA, many eyebrows were raised and more research was conducted on the drug.

It was a tough call to recall the drug because of a possible shortage of blood-controlling drugs, but it is now believed that the estimated 10,000 Floridians who have died are part of the estimated 22,000 that have died since the drug hit the market in 1993.

However, it is unknown exactly how many thousands of patients have died as a result of the drug since so many never knew they received it, but it is known that thousands died before Bayer recalled the drug. Many allege that Bayer was putting its own profits ahead of the well-being of the patients when the patient is supposed to be what comes first. Death has occurred to many innocent Americans in the 14 years that Trasylol has been on the market and thorough research has to be conducted before it is ever reintroduced into the market. It is very effective, but research has shown that the drug is possibly dangerous. In the meantime, Bayer is facing lawsuits for the death and damages that have occurred to those who received the drug.

By Ginger Gillenwater