Darvon Side Effects Lead to Recall

Plaintiffs across the country have been filing lawsuits related to Darvon and Darvocet, popular propoxyphene-based painkillers that were pulled from the market in the United States in November of 2010 after more than half a century in circulation. The recall came after studies found that Darvon, Darvocet, and other propoxyphene products can cause heart problems and accidental death in patients, even at standard prescribed doses.
As one of the most popular painkillers on the market, and intended for mild to moderate pain, propoxyphene products have been prescribed to millions of patients since their introduction to the market in 1953. Since then, thousands may have been affected by the adverse side effects of the medication – experts estimate that Darvocet side effects have led to the accidental deaths of some 2,500 people in the United States alone, and its high lethality lends another use to the drug – as an assistant to suicide.
Although the Food and Drug Administration first received a petition for a ban of the drug due to its serious side effects in 1978, an advisory board did not vote for a ban until 2009 – and it was not carried out until late 2010, putting countless lives at risk by delaying the verdict and allowing more prescriptions to go into circulation. Since side effects of Darvon and Darvocet are coming under public scrutiny more recently, patients across the United States have filed lawsuits related to the drug, hoping to receive some form of compensation for the side effects they have suffered and the costs incurred due to medical treatment and missed wages.
Because Darvocet and Darvon have been on the market for over half a century, and the FDA’s ban is relatively recent, it is not yet known how many people were affected by the side effects – there have been claims that 5% of drug related deaths in a 10-year period have been related to Darvon and Darvocet.