Darvocet® and Darvon® have been pulled from the U.S. market at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Darvocet®/Darvon® recall is based on data that links propoxyphene to deadly side effects, including heart attack and abnormal heart rhythms. Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals announced the recall of Darvocet® and Darvon® Nov. 19, 2010. Propoxyphene was first sold in the U.S. as Darvon® in the 1950s. Today, the drug is prescribed more commonly as Darvocet®, which is a combination drug, made of propoxyphene and acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol).
Darvocet® has been prescribed to more than 22 million people and is among the top 25 most commonly prescribed medications in the U.S. Both Darvocet® and Darvon® are prescribed to patients suffering from mild or moderate pain. The FDA requested that propoxyphene drugs be pulled from the market after reviewing data that showed propoxyphene has dangerous effects on the heart. For some, the recall came too late.
The consumer advocate group, Public Citizen, has been trying to get the FDA to ban propoxyphene for years. Ulf Jonasson, a doctor of Public Health, a group similar to Public Citizen in Sweden, agrees that Darvon® and Darvocet® should have been recalled sooner. “We have researched Darvon® side effects since 1993, and Public Citizen has worked hard to ban the drug before that,” said Jonasson. “There could have been hundreds of thousands of deaths due to Darvon® and Darvocet® over the past 25 years.” Jonasson, reportedly, said he believes major drug companies influence decisions made by the FDA.
For more information about the Darvocet®/Darvon® recall, contact Gacovino Lake & Associates. Our firm has formed a network of qualified defective drug lawyers that serve clients nationwide. For experienced legal help, call 1-800-246-4878.
