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ACETAMINOPHEN/PAINKILLERS
June 30, 2009. A government advisory panel voted Tuesday to recommend eliminating prescription drugs that combine acetaminophen with narcotics -- such as Vicodin® and Percocet® -- because of their risk for overdose and for severe liver injury. The panel was assembled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to advise the FDA to remove such prescription combination drugs from the market. The group recommended that the FDA "send a clear message that there's a high likelihood of overdose from prescription narcotics and acetaminophen products," Dr. Sandra L. Kweder of the FDA's Office of New Drugs said at a news conference.
The panel was meeting for the second day to vote on recommendations to reduce the risk of serious liver injury associated with acetaminophen, which is found not only in prescription drugs, but also in over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol® and NyQuil®. It also advised the FDA to lower the maximum daily dose of acetaminophen in over-the-counter and prescription medications, and to address the formulations and dosing recommendations for children.
Although acetaminophen is one of the most commonly used drugs in the United States for treating pain and fever, overdoses of acetaminophen have been linked to 56,000 emergency room visits, 26,000 hospitalizations and 458 deaths during the 1990s, according to the FDA, citing one study.
The agency cited another study, a 2007 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention population-based report, that estimated acetaminophen was the likely cause of most of the estimated 1,600 acute liver failures each year.
If you or someone you love were injured after using a product containing acetaminophen, you have valuable legal rights. Please fill out our online form, or call us at 1-850-444-9500 or toll free at 1-888-839-3775 to discuss your rights with one of the experienced product liability attorneys at our firm.
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Telephone: 1-850-444-9500 | Toll Free: 1-888-839-3775
