ADELPHI, Md. -- Government experts say prescription drugs like Vicodin and Percocet, which combine a popular painkiller with stronger narcotics, should be eliminated because of their role in deadly overdoses.
A Food and Drug Administration panel yesterday voted 20-17 that prescription drugs that combine acetaminophen with other painkilling ingredients should be pulled off the market.
The FDA has assembled a group of experts to vote on ways to reduce liver damage associated with acetaminophen, one of the most widely used drugs in the United States.
It remains the leading cause of liver failure in the nation, according to the FDA.
Panelists cited FDA data indicating 60 percent of acetaminophen-related deaths are related to prescription products. Acetaminophen is also found in popular over-the-counter medications like Tylenol and Excedrin.
The FDA is not required to follow the advice of its panels, though it usually does.
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