60 Minutes Investigates Trasylol
According to a 60 Minutes investigation, it is estimated that 22,000 lives would have been saved if Trasylol, the anti-bleeding drug used in heart surgery, had been taken off the market once studies linked it to widespread deaths.
In 2006, a study conducted by Dr. Dennis Mangano of the nonprofit Ischemia Research and Education Foundation concluded that patients who were given Trasylol had a higher risk of stroke, heart attack and kidney failure.
With the safety of a drug that was making Bayer hundreds of millions of dollars each year, and projected to hit the billion dollar mark, called into question, the manufacturer conducted its own study. It hired Alexander Walker of Harvard’s School of Public Health. He reviewed a database of 67,000 patients and came to a similar conclusion: Patients who were given Trasylol had a much higher chance of dying than patients who were given a comparable drug.
In 2006, Magano asked an FDA panel to reconsider Trasylol. As Pharmalot notes, his study was skewered by the panel. Even more disturbing is the fact that Bayer hid its own study results from the panel. A few days after the hearing, Walker contacted the FDA panel and blew the whistle on Bayer. That study was published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Unfortunately, because the FDA dithered and Bayer suppressed its own study to protect profits, people died. Magano estimated that for every month that Trasylol remained on the market, 1,000 people needlessly lost their lives.
If you or a loved one suffered complications after taking Trasylol contact Carey & Danis. We can help. Carey & Danis is a national law firm that represents individuals injured by America's largest corporations.
For more information, fill out our online contact form or call Carey & Danis toll-free at 800-721-2519.
