Darvocet Heart Problems Lead to Recall

Propoxyphene products have been banned nationwide due to the Darvocet side effects, which have claimed the lives of dozens of users. Many medical experts have expressed relief at the ban, which could potentially have spared hundreds of lives – but drugs like Darvon and Darvocet, affected by the ban, have already been on the market for more than half a century. Studies recently confirmed that propoxyphene drugs like Darvocet can cause serious heart problems, including heart arrhythmia, even for patients who are taking recommended doses of the prescription painkiller.

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.

Lawsuits Claim Cardiac Failure as Darvocet Side Effect

Popular painkillers containing propoxyphene, which include Darvocet, Darvon and generic equivalents, were removed from the market in November 2010 after it was confirmed that the risk of serious and potentially life-threatening heart side effects outweigh the benefits provided by the medications. A complaint was filed on May 24 in U.S. District Court in New Orleans by Peggy Oniate against Eli Lilly & Co., Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals Inc., Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., Qualitest Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Vintage Pharmaceuticals, Inc., saying the recalled painkiller caused her to suffer a fatal heart attack. Darvocet lawsuits are one of a growing number that have been filed by plaintiffs who say they suffered heart problems or lost loved ones due to a heart attack from Darvocet.

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.

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.

Darvocet, the Deadly Painkiller

On November 19, 2010 Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals Inc. the manufacturers of Darvon and Darvocet, the brand name version of the prescription pain medication propoxyphene, agreed to recall the medicine from the US market at the request of the FDA. The FDA sought the removal of propoxyphene after receiving new data showing that the medicine puts individuals at a higher risk of possibly extreme or even fatal heart rhythm, one of the many deadly side effects of Darcovet. The FDA is notifying health care professionals to discontinue prescribing propoxyphene to their patients, and patients who are currently using the medication to get in touch with their health care professional as soon as possible to talk about switching to a different pain management treatment.

Darvocet Heart Problems: Causation and Litigation

A significant number of Darvon, Darvocet, and other propoxyphene drug-related lawsuits were launched after the Food and Drug Administration’s recall and subsequent ban of propoxyphene products in recent months. Heart problems are one of the most important reasons for the ban of the once-popular painkiller, and heart conditions such as arrhythmia and cardiac arrest make up a significant portion of the Darvocet lawsuits.

Darvocet Lawyers Assist Plaintiffs with Settlements

Darvocet was pulled from the market in the United States and Canada in November of 2010, and since then many lawsuits have been filed against the drugmaker Xanodyne regarding Darvon and Darvocet side effects. Xanodyne is expected to eventually pay a total of several million – maybe even a few billion – dollars in settlements to plaintiffs complaining of various severe side effects often associated with the medication.
Although no Darvocet settlements have yet been reached and no verdicts have been obtained in Darvocet jury trials, similar cases involving other drugs with significant side effects have sometimes netted plaintiffs millions of dollars – in the case of one Alabama man, his compensation for side effects suffered as a result of taking the acne drug Accutane was $25 million. These huge sums could be reflected in settlements with Xanodyne, since large pharmaceuticals companies such as this often have the means to give plaintiffs a higher payoff.

A victim of Darvocet side effects

Although many plaintiffs who have already filed suit against Xanodyne remain anonymous, Kristin Esposito has filed her lawsuit against the company publicly. She was diagnosed with a heart arrhythmia and is seeking compensation for lost earnings as well as past and future medical bills. She is asking for $10 million – which is not unreasonable, considering the severity of the side effects sometimes associated with Darvon, Darvocet, and other propoxyphene products. Many plaintiffs can expect to receive similar amounts, depending on the severity of their specific side effect and whether they have lost significant wages or large amounts of their own money through medical bills.
Because many times, during a trial by jury, the plaintiff is awarded more than he or she would have been if a settlement had been reached, it is possible that Xanodyne will choose to settle with plaintiffs instead of allowing each case to go to trial. Either way, this decision is likely to be favorable for the plaintiff.

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.