Settlements for Darvocet Cases Could get Big

Propoxyphene painkillers such as the brand names Darvon and Darvocet were removed from the market by the Food and Drug Administration recently after years of controversy over their safety and usefulness. Doctors have said for years that not only are propoxyphene products less effective than many other painkillers on the market, but the side effects are far too dangerous to allow the drug to be kept on the market. Heart attack, stroke, heart arrhythmia, and accidental Darvocet overdose are all side effects that have been reported from the use of the drug.
Propoxyphene painkillers are among the top 25 most prescribed drugs in the United States, and over 27 million prescriptions were written in 2009 alone for propoxyphene products, and in that time experts estimate that around two thousand people died from complications related to taking the medication. Darvon, Darvocet, and other propoxyphene products were banned from the pharmaceuticals market in Europe and the United Kingdom years ago, but the Food and Drug Administration in the United States has claimed that only the latest evidence shows the risk of heart problems associated with even a standard dose of Darvocet.
Although it is too early to tell how much of a settlement the victims of these products will receive, similar cases that have already taken place show that those who have suffered from side effects of Darvon and Darvocet will receive a substantial settlement. In the case of Vioxx, an anti-inflammatory that later was linked to heart attacks, the settlement the company had to pay was around $4.85 billion. Because the ban is so recent, the number of people filing lawsuits is expected to increase, and thousands more victims will come forward to report their injuries and seek compensation for their emotional, physical, and financial suffering.
Darvocet settlements are likely to vary from plaintiff to plaintiff, and depend on factors such as out of pocket expenses, nature of subject injuries and extent of those injuries, loss of earning, and pain and suffering.