25/06/2009 (Agence Europe) - In a press release published on Thursday 25 June, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) said that it had decided to recommend the withdrawal of analgesics containing dextropropoxyphene. This substance is found in various pain-relief medicines, often in combination with paracetamol. On the basis of information assessed following a Commission request made in 2007 (the request sought to harmonise the situation throughout the EU, some member states having already banned the sale of these products), the EMEA concluded that (1) analgesics containing dextropropoxyphene were no more effective than others, and (2) that a significant number of deaths due to overdose could have been avoided if these products had been withdrawn from the market. (O.J./transl.rt)