In a very significant development today, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it is recommending removing propoxyphene (Darvon, Darvocet) from the US market.
New clinical data was presented showing a risk for heart rhythm problems, with potentially serious or even fatal rhythm anomalies, resulting from using propoxyphene. This risk goes away with discontinuation of the drug – there is no apparent cumulative damage caused.
The news is significant because propoxyphene (sold as Darvon, Darvocet, and multiple generic forms of the ingredient) is a widely used opioid analgesic. An estimated 10 million patients have used this drug.
Users of Practice Fusion can quickly identify their patients who are on propoxyphene, in order to identify and (if appropriate) contact patients in order to discuss alternatives. As this news becomes public-headline material, it is highly likely that practitioners everywhere will be fielding calls about this.
In order to identify patients taking propoxyphene from Practice Fusion, go to the “Reports” section, and under the Reports tab select “Medication report”. Double clicking that item will open up the Medication report in its own tab. In the Search field, enter “propoxyphene” and click the “Run Report” button – a list of all the practice’s patients on any drug containing propoxyphene (brand or generic) will be generated. The report can be printed, if desired, for action.
This is a good example of how an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system, when actively utilized by a practice, can be an important tool when it comes to “breaking news” like this. We thought this news sufficiently significant to remind users about the tools already present in their Practice Fusion EHR.
Robert Rowley, MD
Chief Medical Officer
Practice Fusion EMR
