The consumption of the banned painkillers Darvon&Darvocet increased in the US with 145% from 2011-2012.

The consumption of the banned painkiller Darvon/Darvocet ( Propoxyphene ) increased 145 % from year 2011 to 2012, in spite that the substance was banned in the US Nov 19th 2010.

The consumption for 2011 was 5 227 kg and 2012 it was 12 841 kg according to INCB in Vienna. (The International Narcotics Control Board, an organization under WHO). The figures are to be found here:  http://bit.ly/1ggNqS4 - page 189 (“Consumption of the principal narcotic drugs and calculated consumption of buprenorphine et al – among these drugs are Dextropropoxyphene”).

During the year 1982 – 2010 (29 years) the consumption in the US was 2 153 387 kg, an average of 74 255 kg per year. We estimated the number of fatalities in US during these years to be 178 000, figures I first presented at my press-conference at the National Press Club in Washington DC in September 2013. http://bit.ly/1dECImR

Consumption of Propoxyphene in the US during 2008 – 2012.

2008                    68 694 kg

2009                    76 033

2010                    44 376

2011                      5 227

2012                    12 841

The substance (Dextro) Propoxyphene was banned in US nov 19^th 2010. The consumption of the drug this year in US was 44 376 kg. During the year 2011 the consumption declined – due to the banning – to 5 227 kg. We can assume that there have been some prescriptions on license.

But it is really astonishing that the drug was consumed in such amount as in  2012. It is well known in US that there have been lots of protests against the banning of the substance Propoxyphene – the two most popular brand-names were Darvon & Darvon. There are some real reasons that the drug was banned – it has killed people in the US during more than 50 years, from 1957 to 2010.

Hundreds of lawyers are working on the cases

Since the banning 2010 hundreds of lawyers - http://1.usa.gov/1l3G1wO  - have been working to prepare hundreds of trials http://1.usa.gov/1nDIksi 

Most of the trails are supposed to be in East Kentucky under the federal Judge Danny C Reeves. http://1.usa.gov/1mIQZE1 - but Judge Johnnie B Rawlinson at the United States Court of Appeal for the ninth Circuit will also be involved in the coming trials.

We assume that the licensed prescriptions will cause some problems for the involved lawyers as well for the judge. I have got to know that FDA will react on the above mentioned fact. Tomorrow – March 10^th – FDA will publish a notice in The Federal Register about the banning of Propoxyphene Products.

PS.

In our research from Sweden during the years 1992-2002 we found that "for the consumption of every 12 kg" - one person was poisoned to death in our country. If we use these figures we are able to estimate the numbers of fatalities in the US during 2012 is estimated to be around 1 000 persons when the consumption was 12 841 kg.

A prohibited drug should be a prohibited drug.