The legal world kept a close eye on Corpus Christi, Texas this week as the first trial in the United States involving the withdrawn cholesterol medication Baycol began. The plaintiff, retired engineer Hollis Haltom, alleges Baycol, which was removed from the U.S. market in August 2001, caused him to develop rhabdomyolysis, a severe muscle disorder that can lead to kidney damage and liver failure. Haltom claims he took samples of the medication for two weeks before the condition appeared.

Bayer Corporation, the maker of Baycol, and a pharmaceutical sales representative who gave samples to Haltom are named in the lawsuit. Haltom's attorneys claim Bayer hastily created Baycol in 1997 because the company was in "financial straits" and the statin industry was a $24 billion a year market. Attorneys also say Bayer failed to properly warn consumers about Baycol's dangerous side effects.

To date, Bayer has lost over $840 million in operating earnings due to the medication's withdrawal and is facing nearly 8,000 lawsuits over the drug.