Trasylol Sales Suspended Worldwide
Bayer AG announced today that it is suspending worldwide sale of the anti-bleeding drug Trasylol (also called aprotonin), until results of a recent drug trial can be properly evaluated. In October 2007, a Canada-based drug study of cardiac surgery patients was halted because Trasylol appeared to increase the risk for death compared to other anti-bleeding drugs used in the study. In a Company Press Release, Bayer AG stated that the decision to pull Trasylol from the market was made "following consultation with the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Health Canada, and other health authorities." Trasylol is a blood-clotting medication given to patients during certain types of heart bypass surgery, to reduce bleeding and the need for blood transfusions. A number of studies have linked Trasylol use to serious side effects including kidney damage, heart attack, and stroke.