Last year alone, roughly 10 million people in the U.S. used propoxyphene, known under the brand names Darvocet and Darvon, to relieve post operative pain. It is unknown how many people have died or been seriously injured since the drug was approved in 1957. Recently, Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group, petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to ban the drugs from the U.S. market, stating that the drugs caused over 2000 deaths, are highly addictive, and are not more effective than other safer pain relievers.
In June 2010, Public Citizen alleged that the Food and Drug Administration violated the law by failing to act on a petition that was originally filed in 2006. The FDA discovered over 3000 serious side effect cases involving Darvocet or Darvon. In December of this year, Darvocet and Darvon have been banned from the U.S. market.
The list of life threatening side effects associated with Darvocet and Darvon include: serious or fatal heart arrhythmia, heart attack, cardiac arrest, heart valve issues, myocardial infarction, pacemaker implantation, overdose, and suicide. The Public Citizen group determined that the risks associated with Darvocet and Darvon outweighs the benefit of pain relief, which can be accomplished by other less harmful drugs.
Darvocet has been one of the top twenty five drugs prescribed by physicians in recent years. Darvocet combines the active ingredient in Darvon, known as propoxyphene, with acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol.
Groups like Public Citizen are taking strides to better protect the public from harm by acting as a watchdog for consumers. Personal injury attorneys assisting people who have been injured by drugs are also part of the check and balance system for protecting the public.
Burton Padove, Indiana and Illinois lawyer, is available to help those who are injured because of defective products. He can be reached at (877) 446 5294.