The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has requested that Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals Inc. remove the pain killers Darvon and Darvocet from the market. Since 2009 these two prescription drugs were prescribed to about 10 million people throughout the U.S. The reason for withdrawing the drug is a fear that propoxyphene increases a patient’s risk for potentially serious or even fatal heart rhythm anomalies.
“We recommend that physicians stop prescribing the drugs. As for patients, do not stop taking it, but we urge you to contact your health care professional. Do not delay,” said Gerald Dal Pan, director of the FDA’s Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology.
Generic manufacturers are also being requested to voluntarily remove their products.
According to a statement issued by the FDA, “The drug’s effectiveness in reducing pain is no longer enough to outweigh the drug’s serious potential heart risks.”