CBS 60 Minutes Report: Trasylol Injection linked to 22,000 Deaths

According to a report which will be broadcast Sunday on CBS Television’s 60 Minutes, 22,000 deaths could have been prevented if Bayer and the FDA had issued a Trasylol recall earlier. Although a study was presented in January 2006 which demonstrated a link between Trasylol and serious side effects, the heart surgery injection was not removed from the market until November 2007. The lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. are reviewing potential Trasylol lawsuits on behalf of individuals who suffered kidney failure, a heart attack, stroke or death after receiving an injection before open heart surgery.

>>INFORMATION: Trasylol Injection Lawsuits

Trasylol, also known as an aprotinin injection, was manufactured by Bayer and commonly administered before heart surgery to reduce the risk of bleeding. At one time, the injection was given during as many as one out of every three heart bypass surgeries in the United States, and researches indicate it may have caused as many as 1,000 deaths every month.

During the 60 Minutes story, Dr. Dennis Mangano, a research who published the study regarding the dangers of Trasylol in January 2006, estimates that as many as 22,000 Trasylol deaths could have been avoided if Bayer had acted responsibly and removed the heart bypass surgery injection from the market when his research was first published.

Despite the fact that the dangers of Trasylol side effects were known to Bayer, they did not issue a Trasylol recall until November 2007, when the FDA requested the drug be removed from the market after a different observational study confirmed the link between the heart surgery injection and kidney failure requiring dialysis and an increased risk of death for those patients.

During the 60 Minutes Trasylol report, Dr. Mangano also indicated that Bayer failed to notify the FDA at a September 2006 advisory panel meeting that their own research confirmed the heart surgery injection problems. The chairman of that FDA advisory panel, Dr. William Hiatt, told 60 Minutes that he would have voted for a Traylol recall back in 2006 if Bayer had not withheld the data from their study.

The CBS 60 Minutes heart surgery injection report will be broadcast this Sunday, February 17 at 7:00 p.m ET/PT.

TRASYLOL HEART SURGERY INJECTION LAWSUITS

For nearly two years, the Trasylol lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. have been reviewing potential lawsuits on behalf of individuals who suffered kidney failure, heart attacks, strokes or death after receiving an injection during open heart bypass surgery. Unfortunately, many individuals and their family members remain unaware that problems may be related to the heart surgery injection.

To determine if you, a friend or family member may have suffered injuries following heart surgery which are related to the Trasylol injection, request a claim evaluation. Our attorneys can evaluate the circumstances surrounding the surgery and review medical records to help determine if a Trasylol shot was given before surgery. Request a free Trasylol lawsuit consultation.