PROPULSID

Propulsid was introduced in 1993 by Janssen Pharmaceutica, At the request of the FDA, this drug was removed from the market on March 2000 as a result of the numerous reports of adverse events including serious heart conditions. At least 100 deaths have been reported and hundreds of serious cardiac arrhythmias (irregularities in the beating of the heart).

Eventually it was determined that persons with certain preexisting heart irregularities were particularly susceptible to death or cardiac arrhythmias if given Propulsid. Propulsid was also found to be particularly dangerous for infant children for whom it was commonly prescribed off-label and it is believed to be the cause of a number of deaths that were originally diagnosed as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).