The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced in November that a popular painkiller, sold under the brand names Darvocet and Darvon, and the generic name propoxyphene, has been withdrawn from use in the United States. The announcement followed results of an FDA study that shows a link between the drug and serious heart rhythm abnormalities. The FDA says the new data shows the risks of the drug outweigh any benefits. The drug has been in use in the U.S. since 1957.

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Recorded: December 16, 2010

Courtesy of: Beasley Allen

Keywords: Pharmaceutical, General Pharmaceutical