Baycol withdrawal: "blow for Bayer but little impact on global statins

Last week's withdrawal from the market of Bayer's cholesterol lowererBaycol/Lipobay (cerivastatin; Marketletter August 13) may have come as a great blow for the company, but it will have little impact on the global statins market, according to an analysis by Datamonitor.

Bayer's move followed reports that 31 patients in the USA have died as a result of a severe muscle-weakening side effect, rhabdomyolysis, in at least 12 of these patients, which is thought to have resulted from the combined use of cerivastatin with the fibrate drug gemfibrozil (which is sold in the USA by Pfizer as Lopid).

Datamonitor's sales figures show that the statins were the highest-selling class of drugs globally in 2000, and that turnover for both Lipitor and Zocor last year was nearly 10 times greater than Baycol which, despite impressive growth, held a market share of only 3.5% in this sector (see table below). The withdrawal of Baycol, says Datamonitor, is expected to result in other leading lipid-lowering brands picking up new prescriptions.