Jurors in Corpus Christi, Texas began deliberations Friday after hearing three weeks of testimony in the first lawsuit to go to trial over Bayer Corporation's withdrawn cholesterol drug Baycol. The plaintiff, 82-year-old retired engineer Hollis Haltom, alleges he began suffering from rhabdomyolysis, a severe muscle disorder linked to the drug, two weeks after he started a Baycol prescription.

Baycol was pulled from the market in August 2001 after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration linked the medication to dozens of deaths. During the trial, Haltom's attorneys, who are seeking $500 million in punitive damages and $58 million for suffering, argued that at least 100 people have died worldwide after taking Baycol. Jurors continued deliberations Monday and a decision in the lawsuit is expected shortly.

Bayer is facing accusations that many of the pharmaceutical company's executives continued to heavily market Baycol in the late 1990's even though they knew of the drug's dangerous side effects.