According to a Fox news report, more people die in America every year from prescription drug abuse than die from heroin and cocaine combined.  This leads us to the questions:

1. Are doctors over prescribing?
2. Are doctors closely monitoring drug usage of patients?
3. Are people illegally obtaining prescription drugs?

According to the Centers for Disease Control, most people who die from prescription drug overdose are taking someone else’s medicines, medicines that we left in the medicine cabinet, medicines that were given to a friend or a relative, maybe innocently, maybe maliciously.

In a study done by the CDC it was found that enough narcotics are prescribed every year to medicate each and every adult in America every day for a month.

Thomas Frieden, Director of the CDC, has said “It’s astonishing.  When I went to medical school, we were incorrectly assured, don’t worry, if patients have short-term pain, they won’t get hooked.  That was completely wrong, and a generation of doctors, patients, and families have learned that’s a tragic mistake.”

Although many states have passed new laws to monitor the prescribing of narcotic painkillers, the death rate due to this issue remains high.

A Sheriff of Pinella County in Florida, calls this issue widespread.  “This problem crosses all walks of life, crosses all socio-economic classes.  Crosses all races and gender, national origin, and age”, he said.

An advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration narrowly voted to recommend a ban of two of the most popular prescription painkillers—Percocet and Vicodin—because of harm they can cause to the liver.

Percocet and Vicodin both combine a narcotic (oxycodone in Percocet, hydrocodone in Vicodin) with acetaminophen, a pain reliever commonly found in over-the-counter medications like Tylenol and Excedrin. Acetaminophen is used to relieve headaches and fevers, but is also known to cause liver damage. High doses of acetaminophen are the leading cause of liver damage around the country.

The FDA is not forced to act on the recommendations of the panel, but they usually do. If the FDA does decide to ban Percocet and Vicodin, doctors will still be able to prescribe their contents (the narcotic and acetaminophen) separately. Though doctors have this option now, many opt for the combination drugs because it makes the process of treating pain easier on patients, doctors, and pharmacists.

Ethex Corporation has expanded its recall of morphine tablets on June 16, 2008. The recalled tablets potentially contain twice the dose of morphine that is on the prescription drug label.

Ethex Corporation originally recalled a single lot of morphine tablets on June 9, 2008. The recall has been expanded to include both 60 mg and 30 mg lots of extended release morphine tablets.

The recall expansion is being described as a precaution by Ethex Corporation. There have not been any reports of adverse reactions linked to the tablets.

Serious adverse reactions can develop due to an overdose of an opioid medication, like morphine. Symptoms of an opioid overdose include respiratory distress, low-blood pressure and hypotension.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has listed the following recalled lots: 30mg Tablet/NDC # 58177-320-04: Lots 75090, 77846, 77847, 80048, 83320, 89661, 89665, 90252 through 90258, and 93284 and 60mg Tablet/NDC # 58177-330-04: Lots 91762 (previously reported), 75091, 75092, 77848 through 77851, 82517, 82518, 83333, 83817, 83862, 84111, 84112, 84315, 84900, 85326, 85335, 85807, 86270 through 86276, 87723, 87939, 88007, 89083, 89668, 89669, 89821, 90260 through 90272, and 91763 through 91765.

Defective drug attorneys are working to prevent the serious illnesses and injuries that can result from faulty prescription drugs.

ETHEX Corporation is recalling one lot of 60 mg morphine sulfate tablets due to a risk of overdose. The tablets were manufactured with double the dose of morphine sulfate that is on the label, which could cause serious adverse reactions.

The lot affected by the recall is number 91762. No additional lots are being recalled.

The morphine tablets were released between April 15 and April 27, 2008. They are under the ETHEX label.

As with all opioid medication, the consequences of an overdose can be fatal. An overdose of morphine may result in difficulty breathing and lowered blood pressure.

To this date, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not received any reports of adverse side effects.

Defective drug attorneys are working to help prevent serious consequences of faulty prescription medication by holding drug manufactures responsible for their negligence.

On March 25^{th, California regulators delayed the electronic tracking of prescription drugs for two years. The California State Board of Pharmacy voted 12-0 to allow prescription drug manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies an additional two years to begin electronically tracking prescription drugs from the manufacturer to the patient.The requirement was already delayed by the California State Legislation in 2007. Now, the pharmaceutical industry has until January 1, 2011. The delay is intended to allow the pharmaceutical industry time to set up computer systems that would comply with the first ever requirement to track prescriptions.}

The requirement was instituted in California after a recall of fake Lipitor.

There are defective drug attorneys currently working on cases that involve the serious and fatal illnesses that result from defective drugs.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on March 14^{th that it is taking action to stop the import of Heparin into the United States. The active ingredient of Heparin is manufactured by Scientific Protein Laboratories LLC., which has headquarters in both Wisconsin and China.}

A major recall of Heparin was announced in January, 2008. Since then, hundreds of allergic reactions and at least 19 deaths have been reported in association with Heparin use.

A spokesperson for the FDA has announced that since the end of February, no new deaths have been reported due to adverse reactions to Heparin.

The Heparin that is being stopped at the borders is manufactured by Baxter International, Inc. of Wisconsin. Baxter reports that they have not isolated the contamination, so it cannot determine if the contaminated Heparin was manufactured in their Chinese facility.

Defective drug attorneys are currently at work to help those who have faced devastating consequences due to contaminated Heparin.

On March 1, 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a third major recall of Fentanyl Pain Patches.

Actavis South Atlantic LLC, which sells generic versions of Duragesic fentanyl pain patches, voluntarily recalled all lots of fentanyl transdermal system CII pain patches on the market with expiration dates between May 2009 and December 2009.

This third recall of Fentanyl pain patches is an expansion of an initial recall of Actavis Fentanyl pain patches that occurred on February 17th. The original recall only affected fourteen lots.

Actavis states that this third recall is a voluntary measure to prevent any exposure to Fentanyl gel that may result from damaged pain patches that were not already recalled. The Fentanyl pain patches in question have a fold-over defect, which could potentially cause Fentanyl gel to leak.

The only Fentanyl patches that are not affected by this recall are those sold by Actavis in Europe.

Exposure to Fentanyl gel is very dangerous and can result in serious adverse and fatal effects, such as respiratory depression and overdose. Fentanyl is a potent opioid and should only be prescribed to those suffering from chronic pain and who are in need of around the clock narcotic medication.

Do not use damaged Fentanyl pain patches under any circumstance. If exposure to Fentanyl gel does occur, do not use soap, but thoroughly rise the site with water.

Actavis South Atlantic LLC was previously known as Abrika Pharmaceuticals Inc. Some of the recalled patches may still be labeled Abrika Pharmaceuticals Inc., although the outer carton does have the Actavis logo.

If you or a loved one has suffered serious or fatal illness due to damaged Duragesic or Fentanyl pain patches, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact a Duragesic attorney at Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP at 1-800-460-0606. An experienced Fentanyl attorney will be able to evaluate if you are eligible to seek compensation.

Fentanyl is a medication that is prescribed to those with intense pain due to chronic or fatal illnesses. The composition of Fentanyl is similar to morphine and heroin, as it contains a synthetic opiate.

An overdose of Fentanyl will cause symptoms of respiratory depression and eventually respiratory arrest.

In February, the U.S. Food and Drug Association (FDA) issued it’s second warning regarding the misuse of Fentanyl since 2005.

Both patient and doctor error have lead to numerous fatalities through the misuse of Fentanyl. The FDA has only approved the use of Fentanyl for those with chronic pain, who are already accustomed to the use of opioids.

In order for the patient to be accustomed to an opioid, they must have consistently used the medication 24-hours a day for a week or more.

The FDA has been alerted to physicians prescribing Fentanyl to patients with non-chronic pain. Doctors have prescribed Fentanyl to patients suffering from post-surgery pain, migraine headaches and those that have never taken an opioid medication.

Accidental overdoses of Fentanyl have also been linked to frequent application of the pain patches. Another common misuse is from allowing the Fentanyl pain patch to become hot, which increases the delivery of Fentanyl through the skin.

If you or a loved one has suffered serious or fatal illness from misuse of Duragesic or Fentanyl pain patches, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact a Duragesic attorney at Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP at 1-800-460-0606. An experienced Fentanyl attorney will be able to evaluate if you are eligible to seek compensation.

A second voluntary recall has been issued for Fentanyl pain relief patches. 14 lots of Actavis generic Fentanyl CII were recalled because of a fold-over defect that could possibly expose patients and caregivers to Fentanyl gel.

Exposure to Fentanyl gel may result in serious or fatal adverse effects, such as respiratory depression and overdose.

The Actavis recall follows the recall of all 25 microgram/hour PriCara and Sandoz Fentanyl patches. The PriCara and Sandoz Fentanyl patches were recalled because of a cut along the side of the Fentanyl gel reservoir, possibly causing exposure to the Fentanyl gel.

The lots affected by the recall include 25-, 50-, 75-, and 100-microgram/hour strengths. The lot numbers are:

• 27261 (expiration date 5/09)
• 27317 (expiration date 5/09)
• 27318 (expiration date 6/09)
• 27319 (expiration date 6/09)
• 27391 (expiration date 6/09)
• 27409 (expiration date 6/09)
• 27475 (expiration date 7/09)
• 27476 (expiration date 6/09)
• 27488 (expiration date 6/09)
• 27514 (expiration date 7/09)
• 27536 (expiration date 7/09)
• 27537 (expiration date 8/09)
• 27538 (expiration date 8/09)
• 27545 (expiration date 7/09)

Damaged patches should not be used under any circumstances. Damaged or cut fentanyl patches should be stored in a safe, tightly-sealed container, out of reach of children. To avoid exposure to the fentanyl gel, do not handle the patch directly. Do not re-use a container in which you stored damaged or cut fentanyl patches.

If you or a loved one has suffered serious illness or death due to exposure to Fentanyl, contact a Fentanyl pain patch attorney at Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP at 1-800-460-0606. An experienced Fentanyl pain patch lawyer will be able to evaluate if you are eligible to seek compensation.

The recent recall of Duragesic and other Fentanyl pain patches have brought to light safety concerns regarding the highly potent drug.

The U.S. Food and Drug Association is investigating the reported deaths of patients using Duragesic and Fentanyl patches. A precautionary recall has been issued for all 25 microgram/hour Duragesic and Fentanyl patches with expiration dates on or before December 2009.

For all patients that are not affected by the recall and choose to continue using Duragesic or Fentanyl patches, consider the following safety information:

• Prescriptions for Fentanyl should always be the lowest dose needed
• Duragesic or Fentanyl patches should only be used by those suffering from chronic pain and who are not currently taking other narcotic painkillers
• Follow the directions of doctors and pharmacists exactly
• Store in a safe place away from children

Duragesic and Fentanyl patches are a very strong prescription narcotic. Serious side effects, such as respiratory depression and death by overdose are possible if not administered properly or damaged patches are used.

Watch for the following signs of an overdose:

• Shallow and/or troubled breathing
• Extreme tiredness, sleepiness or sedation
• Inability to talk, walk or think normally
• Feeling confused
• Feeling faint or dizzy

If any of these symptoms occur, seek medical attention immediately.

If you or a loved one has suffered serious or fatal illness from damaged Duragesic or Fentanyl pain patches, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact a Duragesic attorney at Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP at 1-800-460-0606. An experienced Fentanyl attorney will be able to evaluate if you are eligible to seek compensation.