The Cheerios police are at it again. Why is drug A too dangerous to leave on the shelf, while drug B just needs to doll up their warning label?
Just days after an FDA sanctioned panel recommended that the drugs Vicodin and Percoset be banned along with dosage mitigation of Tylenol, the FDA now says that the drugs Darvon and Darvocet may be dangerous as well, and the makers of the drugs need to jump through some hoops in order to protect consumers. Scary warning labels, along with some kind of safety study are all the makers of Darvon and Darvocet need to do to keep the gravy train flowing.
Funny, the FDA panel cited addiction and possible liver damage due to the opiates and acetaminophen contained in Vicodin and Percoset. Darvon and Darvocet contain opiates and acetaminophen. The ingredients of all these drugs are similar, and as outlined above, contain some of the exact same ingredients. Darvon and Darvocet have their own history of safety problems. In fact, those drugs are being phased out in Europe. Not here though. Not yet anyway. So why Peter, and not Paul?
We have no idea what goes on behind closed doors, but we do know what’s right in front of us. The FDA wants to crack down on one drug maker, while leaving another unscathed. The companies are hawking basically the same kind of pain killer, patents not withstanding. Of course there are chemical differences, but those differences are not that great. The ramifications of overdosing on any of the aforementioned drugs will produce similar consequences.
So why is drug A too dangerous to leave on the shelf, while drug B just needs to doll up their warning label? It’s just speculation, but I would say, follow the money. And if competition is ordered off the shelf, you know there’s money to be made.
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