A highly publicized trial involving the cholesterol-lowering drug Baycol continued in Corpus Christi, Texas this week with plaintiff attorneys presenting evidence that showed a mounting unease among Bayer executives even as they continued to market the controversial medication. According to memos and e-mails submitted by attorneys representing 82-year-old plaintiff Hollis Haltom, Bayer officials were concerned about "tremendous trouble in the future" when the company began marketing Baycol at higher doses in July 2000. Haltom claims he developed rhabdomyolysis, a severe muscle disorder that can lead to kidney damage and liver failure, because of the drug.

A December 1999 Bayer report stated that there were "increasing numbers of spontaneous reports of rhabdomyolysis associated with Baycol," overwhelming the "available safety resources." A March 2000 memo, however, urged sales staff to "redouble our efforts, we're going to make this a billion-dollar drug." Records indicate that Bayer expected Baycol, which was withdrawn from the market in August 2001, to reach $1 billion in sales by 2005.