jarheadgirl
04-10-2009, 03:35 AM
I just found out that a lobbying group called "Public Citizen"
( http://www.citizen.org/index.cfm --enter darvocet into the website search function) is trying to convince the FDA to ban Darvon/Darvocet. Their primary reason given is that Darvocet can be used to accidentally OD. (Like there are not a truckload of other drugs you can do that with) I will include some links.
Apparently a Dr. Sidney Wolfe who is the Director of Health Research Group at Public Citizen has been trying to get Darvocet banned by the FDA for the last 37 years. When the FDA would not comply, Dr. Wolfes' organization, "Public Citizen" filed a lawsuit forcing the FDA to hold a hearing on the issue (With no comprehensive notification to the millions of people who use darvocet to attain an acceptable quality of life when living with chronic pain, which would have allowed us to flood the FDA with mail, emails and calls protesting the move. I also found out that this Dr. Sidney Wolfe even sits on the panel he was presenting to, if that is not a conflict of interest, then I don't know what would be.
The Doctor got his way at the hearing, in that the FDA Advisory Panel voted 12-14 to recommend Darvocet/Darvon be banned. This was brilliantly done under the radar; none of the PCPs, Pharmacists or other pain patients I contacted seemed to know anything about this attempt by Dr. Wolfe and "Public Citizen" to take away a drug many of us find a stable tool to battle chronic pain.
Please call your federal reresentatives, Public Citizen, and your Pain Docs to let them know what is happening. I don't know about the other people on Darvocet, but I do not appreciate this Doctor Wolfe who does not even know my family and their medical conditions thinking he has the right to get a drug my husband uses as prescribed taken off the market. It is not easy to find the right pain med in the right dosage that does not produce adverse side effects. It can be a long rollercoaster ride, and I doubt Dr.Sidney Wolfe will be there to help my husband through it after he gets the current medication banned.
Forcing the FDA to 'see things your way' by filing a lawsuit smacks of a form of blackmail to me, but that is just my opinion.
I also tried all day to get someone from the FDA on the phone, but never got anything but a voicemail.Links below.
http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/news/20090130/fda-panel-urges-ban-of-a-pain-drug
=============================
http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/ac/09/written%20comments/2009-4411ws1.htm
=============================
This link is to a letter from a lone patient protesting the possibility of a Darvocet ban.
http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dockets/06p0090/06P-0090-EC1.htm
================================
Report by manufacturer.
http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/dockets/ac/09/slides/2009-4411s1-07-xano2.pdf
===============================
PLEASE help spread the word. Approxamately 22 million patients use this drug and will be very surprised when their Pharmacist suddenly tells them Darvocet is not available anymore.
( http://www.citizen.org/index.cfm --enter darvocet into the website search function) is trying to convince the FDA to ban Darvon/Darvocet. Their primary reason given is that Darvocet can be used to accidentally OD. (Like there are not a truckload of other drugs you can do that with) I will include some links.
Apparently a Dr. Sidney Wolfe who is the Director of Health Research Group at Public Citizen has been trying to get Darvocet banned by the FDA for the last 37 years. When the FDA would not comply, Dr. Wolfes' organization, "Public Citizen" filed a lawsuit forcing the FDA to hold a hearing on the issue (With no comprehensive notification to the millions of people who use darvocet to attain an acceptable quality of life when living with chronic pain, which would have allowed us to flood the FDA with mail, emails and calls protesting the move. I also found out that this Dr. Sidney Wolfe even sits on the panel he was presenting to, if that is not a conflict of interest, then I don't know what would be.
The Doctor got his way at the hearing, in that the FDA Advisory Panel voted 12-14 to recommend Darvocet/Darvon be banned. This was brilliantly done under the radar; none of the PCPs, Pharmacists or other pain patients I contacted seemed to know anything about this attempt by Dr. Wolfe and "Public Citizen" to take away a drug many of us find a stable tool to battle chronic pain.
Please call your federal reresentatives, Public Citizen, and your Pain Docs to let them know what is happening. I don't know about the other people on Darvocet, but I do not appreciate this Doctor Wolfe who does not even know my family and their medical conditions thinking he has the right to get a drug my husband uses as prescribed taken off the market. It is not easy to find the right pain med in the right dosage that does not produce adverse side effects. It can be a long rollercoaster ride, and I doubt Dr.Sidney Wolfe will be there to help my husband through it after he gets the current medication banned.
Forcing the FDA to 'see things your way' by filing a lawsuit smacks of a form of blackmail to me, but that is just my opinion.
I also tried all day to get someone from the FDA on the phone, but never got anything but a voicemail.Links below.
http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/news/20090130/fda-panel-urges-ban-of-a-pain-drug
=============================
http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/ac/09/written%20comments/2009-4411ws1.htm
=============================
This link is to a letter from a lone patient protesting the possibility of a Darvocet ban.
http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dockets/06p0090/06P-0090-EC1.htm
================================
Report by manufacturer.
http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/dockets/ac/09/slides/2009-4411s1-07-xano2.pdf
===============================
PLEASE help spread the word. Approxamately 22 million patients use this drug and will be very surprised when their Pharmacist suddenly tells them Darvocet is not available anymore.
Sponsor