German pharmaceutical manufacturer Bayer AG announced Monday that the company is facing an additional 1,500 lawsuits over its cholesterol-lowering medication Baycol. A spokesperson for the company, which had previously maintained that only 2,000 claims were pending, said the majority of the now 3,500 lawsuits are in the United States, with Bayer already settling around 100 cases out of court. In August, CEO Werner Wenning stated that Bayer was ready to settle Baycol suits in individual cases but that it saw no reason for a general settlement with all plaintiffs.

On August 8, 2001, Bayer pulled the drug from the market because of Baycol's association with myositis and rhabdomyolysis, conditions characterized by severe muscle weakening, soreness, and kidney damage. At least 100 deaths have been linked to the medication.