Bayer faces Swiss criminal probe over cerivastatin

Prosecutors in the Swiss canton of Ticino have opened a criminal inquiry into Bayer AG on suspicion of fraud and grievous bodily damage following the German pharmaceutical giant's controversial recall of its cholesterol drug cerivastatin sodium in August last year.

Cantonal prosecutor Nicola Respini told the BMJ on Friday that he had opened the investigation on 4 December after a patient taking cerivastatin (marketed as Lipobay …