In 1978 and 2006, Public Citizen petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to ban propoxyphene, sold generically and under the brand name Darvon.
The announcement by the FDA that propoxyphene-containing products are finally going to be taken off the market is a serious indictment of the agency’s long-lasting unwillingness to protect people in this country from a deadly but barely effective painkiller, says the consumer advocacy organization.
The dangers of the drug were previously known and acted upon, with bans announced in the United Kingdom about six years ago, and in Europe about a year and a half ago.
Due to FDA negligence, at least 1,000 to 2,000 or more people in the U.S. have died from using propoxyphene since time the U.K. ban was announced, according to Public Citizen.
