A federal advisory panel voted narrowly on Tuesday to recommend a ban on Percocet and Vicodin, two of the most popular prescription painkillers in the world, because the popular pain-killers cause personal injury and liver problems.

Our firm’s San Diego personal injury attorneys that specialize in pharmaceutical liability, we believe that companies who are in the business of providing drugs and medical treatments to consumers should not hide information about the safety of their products.  Dangerous drugs and products liability can cause personal injury or wrongful death especially due to faulty or inadequate testing before the drug is given to the public.

Personal injury and wrongful death has been linked to misuse of vicodin and percocet possibly leading to a new ban on those dangerous drugs.

Vicodin and Percocet combine a narcotic with acetaminophen, the ingredient found in products like Tylenol and Excedrin.  High doses of acetaminophen are a leading cause of personal injury-related liver damage.

While the medicine is effective in treating personal injuries such as headaches and reducing fevers from illness, even recommended doses can cause liver damage in some people.  More than 400 people suffer wrongful deaths and 42,000 suffer a personal injury every year in the United States from overdoses when using Vicodin and Percocet.

In hopes of reducing some of these accidents, the federal advisory committee voted 24-13 to recommend that the F.D.A. reduce the highest allowed dose of acetaminophen in over-the-counter pills like Tylenol to 325 milligrams, from 500.

In light of the many yearly overdoses, some doctors already avoid prescribing pills that combine acetaminophen with narcotics like oxycodone (found in Percocet) and hydrocodone (found in Vicodin).

The personal injury attorneys at our San Diego law firm who handle drug malpractice, we know how dependent many people are on medications and medical devices approved by the F.D.A.  An agency that is required to ensure the safety of patients should not have questions raised about it.  Patients need to be able to trust that the medications they are given will not bring the onset of another more severe personal injury.

Please feel free to call us now at 1-858-551-2090 or click here for a FREE CONSULTATION with an experienced personal injury attorney.  We have a large bilingual staff that can assist you in either English or Spanish.