1 Out of 20 Drug Deaths Related to Darvocet

Propoxyphene has been linked to deaths from heart complications and accidental overdose for more than 30 years, but the FDA delayed requesting market withdrawal of the drug due to “general agreement that additional information about the cardiac effects of propoxyphene would be relevant in further weighing the risk and benefit.” The results of one study provided evidence that even at therapeutic levels, propoxyphene could produce heart rhythm abnormalities. Xanodyne, the company that manufactures Darvon and Darvocet, also indicates that some of the plaintiffs took versions of Darvon Darvocet, arguing that the drug maker could not be held liable in those cases. Both the brand name drugs and their generic equivalents were pulled from the market, resulting in hundreds of Darvocet lawsuits.

35 Years of Propoxyphene Recall Requests Finally Granted

A Darvocet recall was issued in November 2010, after the FDA determined that propoxyphene-based painkillers, which also include Darvon and generic equivalents, may increase the risk of heart problems and other potentially life-threatening injuries, such as suicide and overdose. 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 potential Darvocet suicide and overdose, it remained available in the United States.

Darvocet Arrhythmia Proves Fatal

The once-popular painkiller Darvocet has been linked to heart problems in many patients and a resulting series of Darvocet lawsuits. The drug, which has since been pulled from the market, has been connected to pulmonary issues such as cardiac arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, and other serious issues. In some cases, Darvocet-related arrhythmia can be fatal.

Darvocet Arrhythmia Proves Fatal

The once-popular painkiller Darvocet has been linked to heart problems in many patients and a resulting series of Darvocet lawsuits. The drug, which has since been pulled from the market, has been connected to pulmonary issues such as cardiac arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, and other serious issues. In some cases, Darvocet-related arrhythmia can be fatal.

Darvocet Lawsuit News From Indiana

Multidistrict litigation is a possibility in the case of many plaintiffs who have filed Darvocet lawsuits. In multidistrict litigation, similar lawsuits are consolidated in a district court and the pretrial processes are completed, speeding the litigation process. Unlike class action, lawsuits in multidistrict litigation are decided individually and may be remanded, or sent back to the courts from which they originated, for the legal processes following the pretrial proceedings. This process would be beneficial to plaintiffs because it would help expedite the legal actions, leading to a speedier resolution to the trial.

New and Dangerous Side Effects for Darvocet

In November 2010, the FDA asked Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals to remove both Darvon and Darvocet from the market after a study found that even when taken at recommended doses, propoxyphene painkiller causes significant changes to the electrical activity of the heart. One of the new side effects of Darvocet, Torsade de pointes, has been found to occur in patients taking Darvocet and women are nearly eight times as likely to suffer from Torsade de pointes as men while taking Darvocet. But, with such a long history, many people are wondering what took the FDA so long to ban a drug that was affecting so many people.

Darvocet Heart Problems Lead to Recall

The Food and Drug Administration announced in November 2010 a recall of prescription painkillers Darvon, Darvocet, and all other analgesics that contain propoxyphene. The reason for the recall is that these drugs represent an unacceptable danger to users, putting them at risk of developing Darvocet arrhythmia and heart problems.
News that medicines containing propoxyphene can lead to heart problems had been publicized by medical experts for years. Finally, in 2009, the FDA published the results of a study that supported findings that Darvon (propoxyphene) and Darvocet (propoxyphene with acetaminophen) can dangerously interfere with the heart’s electrical activity.
The researchers who performed the study concluded that even in carefully measured doses, both Darvon and Darvocet are able to produce negative inotropic effects. This means that the drugs can result in weakened muscular contractions of the heart over time. When the heart’s contractions are weakened, dangerous shifts in the regular intervals of heartbeat can result. As stated in the report that the FDA published, these changes can lead to a prolonged PR and/or QT interval, and also a widened QRS complex (see image).
Such changes to the normal interval of the heartbeat are symptoms of Darvocet heart arrhythmia, or an irregular heartbeat. One consumer advocacy group named Public Citizen has appealed to the FDA for many years to recall Darvon and Darvocet and ban their use in the United States. This group estimates that over the last five years, these two prescription medications have been the cause of death for 1,000 to 2,000 Americans.

Signs of Darvocet Heart Arrhythmia

In certain circumstances, heart arrhythmias can be harmless. But in other cases, they can be fatal. Doctors are able to discern all kinds of heart arrhythmias by using an ECG (electrocardiogram). Sometimes no treatment is called for, but in some cases prescription anti-arrhythmia drugs may be prescribed. In the most serious situations, surgery is required to address the issue.
Symptoms of a severe Darvocet heart arrhythmia include but are not limited to: dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath, and/or feeling a fluttering or otherwise agitated sensation in the heart.
If you have taken Darvon or Darvocet and you have reason to believe you may be experiencing Darvocet or Darvon heart problems, please quit taking the medicine immediately and consult your physician as soon as possible.
Also, you may be eligible for compensation of your medical expenses via a Darvocet lawsuit. If you have suffered from Darvocet heart problems, it is imperative that you speak to an attorney as soon as possible.

FDA Ban On Darvocet: Who Can File Suit?

The November 2010 ban on the popular propoxyphene-based painkillers Darvon and Darvocet, along with generic propoxyphene products, has left many consumers of the pills wondering whether or not they have an opportunity to file a lawsuit and seek compensation for Darvocet side effects they may have suffered.

Propoxyphene products were first introduced to the U.S. market over 50 years ago, and ever since consumers have been plagued by serious side effects as a result of the medication. The Food and Drug Administration were first petitioned in 1978 to recall the products, but the recall was denied. Finally, in 2010, studies were conducted that definitively linked propoxyphene to heart problems in healthy patients, even at standard doses, and a recall was initiated. However, for many consumers, the recall came years too late.
Many events preceded the Darvocet recall that should have indicated the dangers of the drug, including the ban of propoxyphene in the United Kingdom six years ago and in the European Union over a year ago. However, the FDA waited years to make their final decision – years that put thousands of lives at risk. Over 10 million people were taking Darvon, Darvocet, or another propoxyphene-based painkiller at the time of the recall.
Anyone who has taken propoxyphene-based drugs, or who has a family member who has done so, may be eligible to file a Darvocet lawsuit in order to seek compensation for pain and suffering as well as other expenses, such as hospital bills and wages lost. Potential plaintiffs must have suffered negative side effects due to propoxyphene use, including heart attack, heart arrhythmia, addiction, or overdose. Family members of individuals who have died from taking propoxyphene products may be eligible to file a wrongful death claim.
Experts hypothesize that thousands of Americans have died because of propoxyphene-related issues since the UK ban was initiated, and blame the FDA for not acting sooner on a drug that was potentially dangerous.