WASHINGTON (AP) - The maker of the painkiller Darvon is pulling the drug off the market under pressure from public health officials who say it causes potentially deadly heart rhythms.

The Food and Drug Administration said Friday that Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals has agreed to halt marketing of Darvon and the related brand Darvocet, which have been subject to safety concerns for decades.

The FDA has also called on generic drugmakers to stop marketing low-cost drugs containing the active ingredient in Darvon, called propoxyphene.

About 10 million people in the U.S. received prescriptions for Darvon and related drugs in 2009, according to the FDA.

Friday's action puts the U.S. in line with Britain and the European Union, which previously decided to ban Darvon due to suicides and accidental overdoses.