Two new studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine provide further proof that Bayer Pharmaceutical’s Trasylol, known generically as aprotinin and used to control bleeding in heart bypass surgery, is very dangerous. While Bayer was forced to remove Trasylol from U.S. markets in November 2007, additional details about the dangers of the drug have only recently become known to the public.

New England Journal of Medicine studies

The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) published two studies today that examined the effects of Trasylol. According to news reports, both studies concluded that the drug’s use elevated patients’ risks of death. Here are the details of both studies:

• Duke University Medical Center
  
  The first study, conducted by Duke University Medical Center from 1996 to 2005, looked at over 10,000 patients who had bypass surgeries. It found that patients who were given Trasylol died at a rate of 2 ½ times greater than those who were given a similar drug to control bleeding. Specifically, the study showed that 6.4 percent of patients who were given Trasylol died within 30 days of the surgery and that nearly 16 percent of patients who were given Trasylol died within one year after surgery.
  
• Bayer Pharmaceuticals
  
  The second study, which was funded by Bayer, reviewed medical records of 78,000 patients nationwide over a 39 month period – from January 1, 2003 to March 31, 2006 – and found that the risk of death after surgery was 64 percent higher for those patients who were given Trasylol as opposed to a similar drug. Bayer allegedly had the details of this second study when it met with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2006, but did not provide the FDA with the results.

Trasylol given to 1/3 of all U.S. heart bypass patients

Bayer’s Trasylol was allegedly given to an estimated one third of all heart bypass patients in the United States from 1993 to 2007. Researchers say that it is clear that Bayer knew about the harmful, and perhaps deadly, effects associated with the drug – but did nothing. As a result, thousands of lives may have been taken too early according to a recent segment on CBS’s 60 Minutes. Bayer Pharmaceuticals 2007 income will likely report record profits for 2007 – a large part of it due to the sale of Trasylol.

If you or a loved one may have been injured or died due to the use of Trasylol, contact an attorney whose practice focuses in this area of law to discuss your situation. The consultation is free and without obligation. To contact a qualified attorney, please click here.