UPDATE: FDA recalls painkiller drugs Darvon and Darvocet
The highly debated prescription painkillers, Darvon and Darvocet (propoxyphene) were pulled off the market Friday at the request of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because of concerns that the drugs can cause fatal heart problems.
The FDA states the drug, propoxyphene, puts patients at risk of potentially serious or fatal heart rhythm abnormalities. The FDA’s decision, based on new research, comes after years of controversy regarding the serious side effects of Darvon and Darvocet, which were first approved by regulators in 1957.
The FDA determined that, “the risks of the medication outweigh the benefits.”
The FDA has been aware of the health concerns surrounding Darvon and Darvocet since 1978, after receiving two requests to remove propoxyphene from the market. At the time the FDA concluded that the pain-reducing benefits of taking propoxyphene products such as Darvon and Darvocet far outweighed their heart arrhythmia risks.
The FDA has also told companies of generic Darvon and Darvocet to stop marketing the drug as well. Furthermore, the agency had advised patients not to stop their medication with this drug if they have not asked their doctor for an alternative.
Darvon and Darvocet have already banned in Britain and the European Union.
Sounds more likely that this drug was pulled for not making any money for the manufacturer. What a shame for so very many people who took it and had good results. Are they expecting us to believe it took 53 years to come up with this story????????????????