Millions May Be at Risk Because of Darvocet

Over 10 million people in the U.S. received prescriptions for drugs containing propoxyphene in 2009, according to the FDA. The most popular form of the drug currently is Darvocet, which combines propoxyphene with the more common painkiller acetaminophen. At an FDA meeting in 2009, officials cited studies showing most of the pain relief from Darvocet came from the acetaminophen. Despite pain relief, there are many serious side effects of Darvocet that outweigh the benefits. In January 2009, an FDA advisory committee voted 14-12 against continued marketing of propoxyphene. The FDA denied that request, but required a study of propoxyphene’s cardiac effects. The FDA’s study showed an increased risk for heart arrhythmias even in healthy patients, not just those weakened by illness.

The number of plaintiffs who have filed Darvocet lawsuits regarding Darvon, Darvocet, and other propoxyphene products continues to grow since the major recall of the drugs last November. The expansive number of Darvocet lawsuits is making many people believe that class action or multidistrict litigation action will be taken in these cases. Both of these judicial processes combine similar cases and complete various parts of the legal process in the consolidated state. There are currently at least four different lawsuits over Darvocet that have been filed against Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals in three different federal district courts.

Medical experts have been questioning the safety of Darvocet and Darvon for years, with the first petition for the FDA to issue a propoxyphene recall filed in 1978, after data suggested that the drug may cause potentially harmful toxins to build up in the heart. Although Darvon and Darvocet were recalled in the U.K. in 2005 due to an increased risk of suicide and overdose, it remained available in the United States. The consumer group Public Citizen filed a new petition in 2006, and filed a Darvocet lawsuit against the FDA in 2008 over their failure to act on their petition to ban the drug in the United States. Darvon and Darvocet problems were linked to over 2,110 Darvocet deaths between 1981 and 1999, accounting for 5.6% of all drug deaths during the time. Victims suffering from the side effects of Darvocet should contact an experienced Darvocet lawyer immediately.