The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) issued a Public Advisory warning in July 2005, announcing a study into the safety of pain patches after reports of at least 120 deaths from drug overdoses. The Duragesic pain patch, manufactured by Janssen Pharmaceutical Products, and generic patches manufactured by Mylan Laboratories and Actavis Inc., all deliver the narcotic fentanyl through the skin to patients with severe and chronic pain.
Fentanyl, a drug that is up to 100 times stronger than morphine with effects similar to heroin, is held in a gel in the pain patch and is supposed to be released in controlled doses into the patient’s bloodstream by absorption through the skin. If the wrong dose is administered, the patient can suffer an overdose that may be fatal.
A new patient package insert for Duragesic pain patches was released with the 2005 FDA warning. It includes the following warnings:
Check out the following articles for more information about the Duragesic Patch, filing a Duragesic Patch lawsuit and finding a Duragesic Patch attorney.