Baycol, a widely used cholesterol-lowering drug, is being removed from UAE markets after 31 deaths in the US were linked to an unusual side effect - the breakdown of muscle, reported the Gulf News on Sunday.
Bayer Pharmaceuticals, which makes the drug, began a voluntary worldwide withdrawal on August 8, which is being implemented in the UAE by the ministry of health, said the paper.
A drug control department spokesman said: "Bayer's agents in the UAE have begun withdrawing Baycol from the market and we are also instructing all clinics to stop prescribing the medication."
He said that no complaints of side effects had been reported to the ministry by patients in the UAE, adding: "The removal of the drug from the market is because of the international action."
The side effect is a painful condition called rhabdomyolysis, marked by the destruction of muscle cells, which enter the bloodstream. In some cases, the flood of muscle cells can destroy the kidneys and other organs.
Baycol, also known as cerivastatin, is one of a class of potentially lifesaving cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins, according to the paper.
As each drug in the class has been linked to rare cases of rhabdomylosis, doctors instruct patients using them to report acute muscle pains or discomfort.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported that Baycol had been linked to significantly more fatal cases of rhabdomylosis than the other statins, the paper added – Albawaba.com
The side effect was most likely to occur when Baycol was given in high doses or when Baycol was given with the cholesterol drug gemfibrozil, which cuts levels of blood fats known as triglycerides. Twelve of the 31 deaths occurred in people who took both drugs.
The UAE Ministry of Health spokesman said: "We will be also investigating gemfibrozil and its effects when prescribed with statins in the near future."
He advised patients who take Baycol to ask their doctor about switching to one of the other statins before their current supply is used up. "Anyone who feels muscle pain while taking Baycol and gemfibrozil should inform their doctor immediately," he said.
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