Personal Injury Law

Darvon and Darvocet Lawsuits Begin Heading to Courts

By Steven M. Levin and John J. Perconti

In late November last year we posted on the large medication Darvon and Darvocet recall announced by the FDA. The recall was initiated following medical studies which showed that the drugs caused serious, unacceptable side effects. Particularly troubling was indications that patients who took the medication were at risk for fatal heart rhythm abnormalities as well as risks of suicide, addiction, and overdose.

The medication became one of the country?s most popular prescriptions in the late 1970s as a pain medication, according to reports at Lawyers and Settlements. Concerns were raised about the drug?s safety as early as 1978. However, it wasn?t until 2006 that an FDA advisory panel began investigating the safety of the medication following public advocacy claims regarding the skyrocketing death toll linked to the drugs. Two year later Public Citizen, a consumer rights organization, filed a lawsuit against the FDA for its failure to properly take action against the drug.

In early 2009 that advisory committee recommended recall of both drugs. However, a few months later the FDA as a whole rejected the committee?s urging, instead only claiming that some changes should be made on the label. The FDA finally changed course in late November of last year, asking the drug makers to pull the medication from the market.

Several lawsuits have been filed on behalf of the victims and their families seeking redress for the problems with the drug and its recall. With the mounting evidence pointing to a link between potentially deadly side-effects and the use of the medication, it is vital for all patients who have taken the drug to receive a health assessment.

Full post as published by Illinois Medical Malpractice Blog on January 12, 2011 (boomark / email).