DARVON TO BE BANNED
February 6, 2009, by Jeffrey J. Kroll
Government advisers are recommending a ban on Darvon, a painkiller that has been on the market for fifty years. A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel voted 14-12 last Friday to recommend withdrawing Darvon after a hearing on its risks and benefits.
Darvon, which is mainly marketed as Darvocet, is one of the top 25 most commonly prescribed medications in the United States. The drug was first approved in 1957 when there were few alternatives for pain except aspirin and powerful narcotics.
At least one consumer group, Public Citizen, has petitioned the FDA to ban Darvon because the drug offers weak pain relief and poses an overdose risk, with the potential to be used in suicides.
