The Fentanyl Patch is an extraordinarily powerful narcotic that is used to treat long-term cancer pain, which is nearly 80 times stronger than morphine. The FDA issued a public health advisory on July 15, 2005 about the Duragesic brand patch, manufactured by Janssen Pharmaceutica, which followed an earlier recall in February of 2004.

Evidence emerged showing that a number of batches of the Fentanyl pain had a potential defect that could disrupt the level of medication that the patch allows into the bloodstream. It's extremely important to have the right amount of medication because too little of it can lead to painful withdrawal symptoms while to much can result in a coma, difficulty in breathing, and even death. Tragically, it is often difficult to see if the patch is working correctly because the medication is released over a three day time period.

This malfunctioning can lead to severe dangers because of the intense strength of fentanyl. The drug is very addictive and only used when all other pain relievers have failed. This high level of narcotic can have disastrous consequences when there is a failure of any kind in the patch.

The fentanyl patch has benefits for relieving agonizing pain when it is used in properly and isn't suffering from product defections, but unfortunately defective patches have caused a great deal of pain for patients already suffering from profound agony. If you are suffering from dangerous effects of the fentanyl patch or have lost a loved one to complications caused by fentanyl defects, you could be entitled to a financial reward for your unnecessary anguish - contact a compassionate and knowledgeable defective drug attorney today.