Darvon, often sold as Darvocet, is a popular painkiller, first approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1957. On January 30, 2009, the FDA began a hearing to discuss whether they should withdraw Darvon from public use.ABC News: FDA Holds Safety Hearing on 50-Year-Old Painkiller (January 30, 2009)

The consumer group Public Citizen has been seeking a ban on Darvon since the mid-1970s. They argue that the drug has weak pain relief compared to more effective drugs available today. Further, the drug poses an overdose risk, and thus has the potential to be used by suicidal persons.ABC News: FDA Holds Safety Hearing on 50-Year-Old Painkiller (January 30, 2009)

According to the Drug Abuse Network (DAN), there were 503 Darvon-related deaths in 2007, 20% of which were suicides. The DAN only covers about 1/3 of the U.S. population. In Florida, Darvon was present in the bodies of 341 people who died of drug-related causes in 2007.Attorney at Law: Darvon and Darvocet: Popular Pain Killers Facing Possible Ban (January 30, 2009)

"I have been astonished at how widely used this drug is. It's no longer the most abusable and most dangerous drug in its class, but the fact that there are worse drugs doesn't make Darvon a good drug."—Dr. Jerry Avorn, critic of the pharmaceutical industryABC News: FDA Holds Safety Hearing on 50-Year-Old Painkiller (January 30, 2009)