The painkiller Darvocet and its chemical cousins should be banned by the Food and Drug Administration, according to Public Citizen's Health Research Group.

The Associated Press reported March 2 that the group contends that the drug caused more than 2,100 accidental deaths between 1981 and 1999, and also has been used by thousands more to commit suicide. Public Citizen is petitioning the FDA to ban propoxyphene, the main ingredient in Darvon and Darvocet, saying it carries unacceptable risk for a relatively weak painkiller.

Propoxyphene has been sold legally in the U.S. since 1957, and Public Citizen has been trying to get it banned since 1978. "This a black-and-white example of a drug where its risks far outweigh its benefits," said Public Citizen's Sidney Wolfe. "There's no excuse for this drug to be around." 

In 2005, regulators in the U.K. decided on a phased ban on the drug. About 23 million prescriptions for propoxyphene-based drugs are written in the U.S. each year. Heart problems like arrhythmia are among the known health risks of using the drug.

The drug also is widely abused, with 21 million Americans misusing drugs containing propoxyphene or codeine in 2004.