Fentanyl patches have become a serious concern to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after numerous overdose deaths across the country. Fentanyl is an opioid painkiller 100 times stronger than morphine, so medication dosage errors or product misuse can bring fatal consequences.
The FDA recently approved a risk management plan for many powerful opioids, including Fentanyl patches. The safety measures are designed to reduce the number of opioid overdoses in the U.S., as well as curbing the painkiller addiction epidemic that’s gripping the nation.
Fentanyl painkiller patches were first manufactured by Watson Pharmaceuticals, a Johnson & Johnson company, and were branded as the Duragesic Fentanyl pain patch. Now, an assortment of Fentanyl patches are in the market, but they all present a fatal overdose risk if too much medication is absorbed by the patient’s skin.
There have been so many product liability claims concerning Fentanyl patches that a federal district court will soon decide whether these cases should be consolidated into one class action lawsuit.
If you or a loved one has been seriously harmed or killed by a Fentanyl pain patch, discuss your situation with a skilled Michigan Fentanyl lawsuit attorney.
McKeen & Associates is a highly-regarded law firm that proficiently assists with dangerous medication lawsuits.
Source: The Legal Examiner, “Fentanyl Patch Overdose And Death Lawsuit Update,” Shezad Malik, June 21, 2012
