Eric Koch Selected for National Leadership Role in Darvocet Litigation

Koch appointed by federal judge to serve on Plaintiffs' Steering Committee for cases in the Darvocet multi-district litigation.

Oct. 5, 2011 - Eric Koch has been appointed by a federal judge to a leadership position in the national litigation surrounding the pain killer drug Darvocet, which has been banned by the Food & Drug Administration for causing serious cardiac problems. Cases against the manufacturers were consolidated this week before U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves in the Eastern District of Kentucky. Koch was named by Judge Reeves to the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee which is responsible for prosecuting the liability pretrial aspects of the litigation on behalf of the plaintiffs.

"Judge Reeves has appointed an experienced group of attorneys from across the country to lead this effort," Koch said. "I'm looking forward to working with them to bring these cases to a successful resolution for our clients."

Koch said consolidating the cases into an MDL will help make pretrial procedures such as discovery more efficient and will save both time and money for everyone involved.

In November 2010, the FDA banned Darvon, Darvocet and other generic versions of the drugs containing propoxyphene, which has been plagued with safety concerns since it was first developed in the 1950's. The total ban came after studies showed that healthy people taking normal doses of the drug could experience serious cardiac side effects.

"The drug's effectiveness in reducing pain is no longer enough to outweigh the drug's serious potential heart risks," said Dr. John Jenkins, an FDA official, in a news release about the Darvocet ban.

Since 2009, more than 10 million patients have been prescribed some form of propoxyphene, according to the FDA.