FDA Panel Advises Ban Of Potent Acetaminophen Drugs
(Washington, DC) -- An advisory panel of medical experts is urging the FDA to ban a class of prescription painkillers due to the potential for overdose. The panel voted 20 to 17 to ask the Food & Drug Administration to outlaw such products as Vicodin and Percocet, which combine acetaminophen with opium-based medications. Acetaminophen is the leading cause of acute liver failure in the U.S. with 16-hundred cases reported annually. At the same time, the FDA panel rejected a ban on over-the-counter medications that contain acetaminophen, such as Tylenol, Nyquil and Theraflu. |