The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has called on all manufacturers of fentanyl patches to update patient-friendly information amid reports that thousands of people accidentally die due to

<p>The urgent call came as FDA continues to receive complaints about the apparent life threatening side effects, that sometimes even lead to deaths, of fentanyl patches among patients.

<P>Last summer, a medical journal reported that inappropriate use of painkiller patch caused the accidental deaths of some 3,500 people worldwide.

Pharmaceutical giant, Johnson & Johnson, introduced the painkiller patch in 1990 through its trade name called "Duragesic".

<p>It has been widely prescribed for patients with cancer or those who are suffering from persistent severe pains. These days however, other doctors prescribed the use of patch for patients with headache or who underwent surgery.

<p>The patch apparently contains a powerful narcotic called fentanyl, believed to be 100 times more powerful than morphine.

Aside from Duragesic, generic versions by Mylan Inc. and other manufacturers are also now available in the market .