Fentora Linked to Death

Cephalon issued two Dear Healthcare Professional Letters to inform prescribers and other healthcare providers of important safety information regarding Fentora. Fentora is indicated for the management of breakthrough pain in patients with cancer who are already receiving and who are tolerant to opioid therapy for their underlying persistent cancer pain. Serious adverse events, including deaths, have occurred in patients treated with Fentora. Cephalon said Fentora has been linked to a total of four deaths.

These deaths may have occurred as a result of improper patient selection, improper dosing, or improper product substitution. The healthcare professional letters provide key points regarding appropriate patient selection and proper dosing and administration of Fentora to reduce the risk of respiratory depression.

Fentora and its predecessor, Actiq, are approved by the Food and Drug Administration only for use in cancer patients, but they are often prescribed by physicians "off-label" for such ailments as headaches and back pain. Fentora and Actiq contain fentanyl, a highly addictive substance 80 times as potent as morphine. Fentanyl is classified as a Schedule II substance by the Drug Enforcement Administration, which puts it in the same category as cocaine and methamphetamine. Schedule II drugs have the highest potential for abuse and an associated risk of fatal overdose.

Fentora was approved September 25th, 2006. Since then, more than 78,000 prescriptions were written for the drug. Fentora is a faster-acting and more discrete version of Actiq, which is a lozenge on a stick that looks like a lollipop. Actiq has been associated with more than 120 deaths.

Fentora Articles

Fentora: Fentanyl Patch Deadly
Erin Meek's cousin was only 18 when he passed away in May, 2006. Cody Rhoads and his friend Quinnan, age 20, both died after taking Fentanyl, (an opoid analgesic found in Fentora and Actiq and 80 times more potent than morphine), allegedly sold to them by another young man.

Fentora Addiction and Black Market"sold on Craigslist
"I was prescribed Fentora due to chronic pain," says Marlene. "But I went crazy when I couldn't get anymore and I would do just about anything to get it"I even saw people put ads on Craigslist willing to pay anything for it."

Fentora's "Dear Doctor" Letter
Fentora, Cephalon's new "breakthrough" pain remedy is already in trouble, barely a year since it was approved by the FDA. Cephalon also made Actiq-- a drug similar to Fentora--that was linked to hundreds of drug overdoses and even death. (Fentora and Actiq are both powerful narcotic painkillers containing fentanyl, a man-made opiate.)

Fentora in the News

Fentora Legal Help

If a loved one has suffered damages in this wrongful death case, please click the link below to send your Fentora complaint to a lawyer who will evaluate your claim at no cost or obligation.
Last updated on Mar-25-10