Pain Patch Recall: Do You Need a Pennsylvania Law Firm? Are You a Victim?

On February 12, 2008, pain patches containing the prescription painkiller fentanyl manufactured by Johnson & Johnson and sold under the brand name Duragesic patch were recalled because of a flaw that could cause patients to overdose.

There may be a cut in the lining of the reservoir of some of the pain patches causing the gel form of the drug to leak. Direct contact with the powerful opiate may cause an overdose resulting in death.
Duragesic patch is a prescription product used by people who suffer from constant moderate to severe chronic pain needing to be treated 24/7 and cannot be treated by a combination of narcotic, short-acting, or non-narcotic pain treatment products.

The Duragesic patch is a thin, adhesive, rectangular patch that is worn on your skin and delivers fentanyl, a strong pain-relieving medicine delivered through the skin into the bloodstream.

WARNING:  Using damaged patches can cause too much medicine absorbed through the skin which can cause serious and sometimes fatal breathing problems.

In December 2007, the FDA put out a second warning in two years about the dangers of misusing the powerful drug. It is estimated that two patches out of every million patches included in the recall have the defect that causes the possibly fatal leak.
On March 1, 2008, Actavis Inc., the U.S. manufacturing and marketing division of the international generic pharmaceutical company Actavis Group hf, announced that its subsidiary Actavis South Atlantic LLC is proceeding with the voluntarily recall from wholesalers and pharmacies of all lots of Fentanyl transdermal system CII patches sold in the United States.

This recall is an expansion of the initial recall of 14 lots of Fentanyl transdermal patches announced on February 17, 2008. That recall was due to the identification of a possible fold-over defect present in the product that potentially could cause fentanyl gel leakage.

Fentanyl is a potent opiate medication. Fentanyl patches that leak or are damaged should never be used. Exposure to fentanyl gel may lead to serious adverse reactions including shortness of breath and possible overdose, which may be fatal. Also damaged and/or compromised patches that have leaked gel will not provide effective pain relief.

If you or a loved one has been harmed because of the Duragesic pain patch or Fentanyl pain patch then you need a competent personal injury/wrongful death law firm by your side. Please contact Monheit Law for a free consultation to find out what your legal options are.