(openPR) - The Law Offices of James Sokolove (LOJS), dedicated to providing equal access to the civil justice system, cites the mounting evidence of danger associated with the use of the fentanyl prescription pain patch. This week Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and Novartis AG's Sandoz recalled 25-micrograms/hour Duragesic®-brand transdermal pain patches in the U.S. and Canada due to the risk of accidental overdose resulting from manufacturing defects in the patch. The expiration dates on the recalled patches are on or before December 2009.
“Cancer patients and others whose severe and chronic pain requires the use of fentanyl should not be exposed to such extreme danger as a result of their treatment,” says Attorney Jim Sokolove, founder of the LOJS. “When symptom relief comes at a deadly cost, the risk imposed on consumers is clearly unacceptable.”
The flawed fentanyl patches have a cut along one side of the drug-reservoir that could result in the prescription gel leaking. Patients and caregivers who are directly exposed to fentanyl may experience symptoms of overdose, including serious or even fatal breathing problems.
This is not the first recall for the fentanyl patch, which has been plagued with problems since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its use in 1990. In 2004, Janssen Pharmaceutica Products recalled the 75-microgram fentanyl patch for a similar leaking defect. The FDA also issued warnings to patients and doctors in 2005 and 2007 regarding a high danger of accidental overdose associated with use of the patches.
Fentanyl, a potent narcotic with approximately 80 times the analgesic power of morphine, is intended for use in patients with long-term, severe pain who have developed a tolerance to other narcotic painkillers. When the fentanyl patch is prescribed inappropriately—for mild, short-term or postoperative pain, for example—or used contrary to guidelines, the risk of accidental overdose increases.
The LOJS urges consumers to seek immediate medical help if they experience difficult or shallow breathing, extreme sleepiness, cold and clammy skin, or difficulty in walking or talking after coming in contact with the fentanyl patch.
The Law Offices of James Sokolove
1340 Centre Street
Newton Center, MA 02459
617 742-0696
Ellen Fletcher efletcher@jimsokolove.com
617-467-6967
For almost 30 years, The Law Offices of James Sokolove (LOJS) has focused on reinventing how people obtain legal services. Equality of access, irrespective of ethnicity or income, and superior quality of representation and service within our civil justice system is our mission. Within an ever-changing legal profession, the LOJS business model is a proven success strategically matching specific client needs with particular law firm expertise and service quality. LOJS is the nation’s largest and fastest growing marketer of legal services.
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