Several patients in Britain required kidney dialysis after suffering acute renal failure while taking Lipobay, the controversial heart drug withdrawn by German company Bayer, writes Andrew Clark.

One sufferer, a man in his 70s in otherwise good health, was bed-bound for weeks and took months to recover according to Dr David Goldsmith, a renal physician at Guy's Hospital in London.

Dr Goldsmith said: This was a completely healthy man in his 70s who was found to have a randomly high cholesterol level after a routine test.' The patient was one of five reported victims in Britain of rhabdomyolysis, the most extreme suspected side effect of Lipobay, which is known elsewhere as Baycol. The condition causes muscles to break down, releasing toxic substances into the blood which can shut down the kidneys.

Dr Goldsmith said the first symptom was muscle pain, stiffness and weakness. When the patient was referred to Guy's Hospital, his muscles appeared in tact but felt boggy and waterlogged'.

The patient, who was taking only a moderate dose of Lipobay, was referred for urgent dialysis. He was bed-bound for weeks and very, very weak for months'.

Bayer maintains that rhabdomyolysis only takes place when Lipobay is used with another drug, gemfibrozil, or when new patients are put on the highest dose of 0.8mg. Dr Goldsmith disputed this: I personally don't believe that's true.'

He said: This drug has been tarnished with a side effect which we know that other drugs cause in certain circumstances, but it is becoming clear that some drugs are more likely to do it than others.'

Dr Goldsmith added: One does feel that Bayer have rather foolishly pushed this drug rather harder and faster than one would normally do.'