Darvon and Darvocet Lawsuit

Our Virginia Dangerous Drug Lawyers Can Help You Seek Compensation

After years of debate, the drug propoxyphene, the main ingredient in Darvon and Darvocet, was recalled for causing dangerous heart problems. Created as a pain medication, Darvon and Darvocet has since been found to cause abnormal heart rhythms, which can be life-threatening.

If you or someone you love was taking Darvon and Darvocet and experienced any negative side effects, contact our lawyers at Kalfus & Nachman PC. Our firm will provide you with the compassionate, thorough legal representation you need to secure compensation for the injuries inflicted on you. Don’t wait, begin building your dangerous drug case with our firm today.

Darvon and Darvocet Complications

After receiving reports of heart issues in Darvon and Darvocet users, the FDA conducted a study to uncover precisely what issues the drug caused. The studies found that Darvon and Darvocet users experienced dangerous heart electrical charges, leading to dangerous heart malfunctions. Another study also revealed that the death rate for Darvon and Darvocet users was higher than that in patients taking similar or stronger pain pills.

Propoxyphene, has been under scrutiny as a dangerous drug for decades but was only recalled when the Darvon and Darvocet study came to light in 2010. Since then, the FDA placed a black box warning, their highest precaution, on the drug, and later recalled the Darvon and Darvocet altogether.

Dangerous side effects of Darvon and Darvocet use include:

• Abnormal heart rhythms
• Interruption in the heart’s electrical impulses
• Heart palpitations
• Heart attack

Painkillers Darvon and Darvocet Pulled from US Markets

In November 2010, the FDA announced that Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals, the maker of Darvon and Darvocet, had voluntarily withdrawn these painkillers from US markets. According to Dr. John Jenkins, director of the FDA's Office of New Drugs, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, the administration “has recently completed new clinical trials designed to assess the impact on the electrical activity of the heart.” The trial showed that propoxyphene can cause potentially severe or even deadly arrhythmias. “We concluded the pain benefits of propoxyphene no longer outweighed the heart risk and that propoxyphene should no longer be sold in the United States, ” Jenkins said.

The FDA has also asked that generic versions of the drug be withdrawn. In 2009, approximately 10 million people in the US were taking propoxyphene.

The Deadly History of Darvon and Darvocet

Over the five decades in which Darvon and Darvocet were used in the US, evidence was mounting that these defective prescription drugs had dangerous and even deadly side effects. Public Citizen warned the FDA as early as 1978 that dextropropoxyphene was highly addictive, caused a buildup of toxins in the heart, and even led to suicidal tendencies. Furthermore, more than 2,000 accidental deaths from heart rhythm abnormalities related to Darvon and Darvocet have been reported since 1981.

Britain's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHPRA) recognized the danger of Darvon and Darvocet and pulled them from the UK market in 2005. The US Food and Drug Administration, however, declined to take action on these dangerous drugs even after a renewed petition from Public Citizen in 2006, who then sued the FDA two years later for failing to act. After a 2009 advisory panel recommendation, the FDA finally recalled Darvon and Darvocet in November 2010. It is unknown how many patients died from the effects of Darvon and Darvocet while the FDA delayed action.

Darvon and Darvocet Wrongful Death Lawsuits

After decades of research showed links to suicide and fatal heart rhythm abnormalities, Eli Lilly and Company finally recalled the painkillers Darvon and Darvocet in November 2010 at the request of the FDA. Families of those killed by Darvon and Darvocet through overdose, heart problems, and suicide are now increasingly seeking to file wrongful death claims in North Carolina and Virginia.

While the UK drug regulatory agency banned Darvon and Darvocet in 2005, the US Food and Drug Administration took five more years before doing the same. Even then, the FDA only took action after consumer advocates at Public Citizen filed a lawsuit to encourage the FDA to investigate a recall of Darvon and Darvocet.

Now that families in Norfolk, Newport News, and Roanoke, Virginia, are aware of the deadly history of Darvon and Darvocet, more and more are looking into the deaths of loved ones who were taking these dangerous prescription drugs. If someone in your family died of an overdose, heart arrhythmia, or suicide while taking Darvon or Darvocet, the pharmaceutical injury attorneys of Kalfus & Nachman could help you determine your legal options.

Compensation for Injury or Wrongful Death

The health risks involved for any person taking Darvon and Darvocet are hefty indeed. If you suffered injury after taking Darvon and Darvocet, or a loved one was wrongfully killed in reaction to the drug, we want to help you seek justice and reparation. At Kalfus & Nachman PC, we are passionate about fighting for the rights of injured victims and their families, and we will advocate for your rights if you have a dangerous drug claim.

Contact Kalfus & Nachman PC to start building your personal injury or wrongful death case involving Darvon and Darvocet.