Bayer Thailand Limited has temporarily stopped selling the cholesterol-lowering drug "Lipobay" in Thailand amid reports of deaths in the U.S. and Europe caused by cerivastatin, the main ingredient, news reports said Wednesday.

The German pharmaceutical giant decided to halt sales of Lipobay in Thailand pending a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) enquiry into reports that cerivastatin had caused up to 52 deaths worldwide. Reports have said excessive use could lead to abnormality of the muscles, muscle reduction and kidney failure, said The Nation newspaper. Thailand's FDA had yet to revoke local sales of cerivastatin drugs.

In the United States, Bayer withdrew Baycol, another cholesterol- reducing dug, on August 8. More than a million Lipobay tablets have been imported to Thailand since 1998.