|
|
Fen-Phen Class Action Lawsuits Information
Diet pills have been a source of high financial reward for
companies capitalizing on the high number of diet conscience Americans. The
introduction of fen phen to the market was met with anticipation and was
immediately successful deemed as the "miracle drug". It did not take long for
the estimated 6-7 million people that took fen phen to become adversely affected
by the diet pill as fatal health complications were reported in high number.
On September 15, 1997, fen phen was recalled when new evidence from doctors
evaluating fen phen patients with echocardiograms found that 30% of the patients
had abnormal results. An echocardiogram is a test evaluating the functioning of
heart valves and the findings were a much higher than expected percentage. The
FDA had already issued to prior warnings concerning fen phen and the risk of
heart valve problems.
A New England Journal of Medicine August 1996 publication included a study
showing the use of fen phen for three months or longer had a twenty-three fold
increase in the risk of developing primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH). PPH is
a potentially life threatening cardiovascular condition linked to fen phen that
is not curable. Although advances in fen phen treatments like PPH have allowed a
longer life expectancy for patients who develop the condition, there is still no
cure for the heart condition.
The Nationwide Class Action Settlement Agreement with fen phen manufacturer
American Home Products was made final on January 3, 2002. Fen phen, also
marketed under the names Redux and Pondimin, has endangered the lives of the
millions of patients taking the diet pill. Evidence of the serious and
potentially fatal fen phen condition PPH had been showing for years prior to the
fen phen recall.
American Home Products had knowledge that fen phen had links to PPH but never
listed it under fen phen's adverse reaction areas of the drug labeling. The FDA
found fen phen manufacturer had miscoded PPH reports after initially failing to
have an official medical monitor back in 1995. The former FDA key reviewer of
fen phen felt that fen phen was dangerous from the beginning and that the drug
companies were covering up for the dangers.
Fen-Phen Side Effects
Serious and deadly Fen Phen side effects prompted the recall
of this dangerous drug in September 1997. Prior to the discovered of serious Fen
Phen side effects, this drug was widely prescribed in hospitals and weight loss
clinics as a "miracle" weight loss drug. Officials estimate that 18 million
prescriptions for Fen Phen were written in 1996 alone. Approximately six to
seven million Americans took this defective drug before Fen Phen side effects
prompted the recall.
Fen Phen side effects were reported in the results of a Mayo Clinic study. In
this study, doctors identified 24 cases of Fen Phen users who developed valvular
disease Fen Phen side effects. The patients who suffered these Fen Phen side
effects had taken the defective drug for one to 28 months prior to being
diagnosed with a serious cardiovascular condition caused by Fen Phen. After this
Fen Phen side effects report was published, the FDA received another 75 reports
of individuals who had developed serious Fen Phen side effects.
The most serious of Fen Phen side effects is a condition called PPH or Primary
Pulmonary Hypertension. There is no known cure for this devastating disease that
claims the lives of 150 people every year in the United States alone. Studies
have found that PPH Fen Phen side effects were twenty five percent more likely
in people who had taken this diet drug compared to the general population.
PPH Fen Phen side effects cause a rare lung disorder whereby a patient's blood
pressure in the pulmonary artery rises dangerously above normal healthy levels.
The pulmonary artery is responsible for carrying blood from the heart to the
lungs. When a person develops Fen Phen side effects, PPH causes an increased
resistance in blood flow, the development of excess tissue in the artery walls,
heart and right ventricle expansion, and other injurious health problems. PPH
can ultimately cause the right side of the heart to fail which often leads to
death.
The diagnosis of Fen Phen side effects can be difficult, particularly when a
patient does not present the signs and symptoms of PPH. Some of the symptoms of
PPH can include: shortness of breath, chest pain, unusual fatigue, fainting
spells, swelling in the legs, and more. Fen Phen side effects may be diagnosed
by way of an echocardiogram. Diagnosis of Fen Phen side effects are never simple
and require a meticulous review of a patient's medical history, family history,
and drug use.
When a person develops Fen Phen side effects they may be eligible to seek
restitution from American Home Products, the company who negligently
manufactured Fen Phen. After the 1997 recall, thousands of injured victims filed
legal claims to seek compensation for their Fen Phen side effects. In 2003, it
was estimated that one-third of all serious cases of Fen Phen side effects had
still not been addressed by the Settlement Fund established to compensate Fen
Phen victims.
More Fen-Phen Information
A Fen Phen class action lawsuit is a legal claim that is
filed on behalf of a group of individuals who have suffered similar damages as a
result of taking the defective drug known as Fen Phen. Fen Phen was introduced
on the United States market in the 1970s and was widely prescribed as a miracle
diet drug in hospitals and weight loss centers. It is estimated that between six
and seven million Americans took this drug prior to its recall on September 15,
1997.
Fen Phen was pulled from the market after clinical studies found that use of
this drug significantly increases a patient's risk of developing devastating
cardiovascular complications. In a Mayo clinical study, doctors identified 24
cases of people who had developed PPH (Primary Pulmonary Hypertension) as a
result of taking Fen Phen. Researchers estimated that thirty percent of all PPH
patients studied had taken Fen Phen in the past.
After the Mayo study was published the FDA received 75 additional reports of
people developing PPH as a result of taking Fen Phen. This prompted the FDA to
order the recall of this defective drug. The FDA also found that American Home
Products, the manufacturer of Fen Phen drugs, had miscoded PPH reports and
failed to have official medical monitoring performed during the time this drug
was available to consumers.
Fen Phen Class action lawsuits claim that AHP is liable for injuries caused by
their defective products. Fen Phen class action lawyers argue that AHP acted
negligently in marketing their popular Fen Phen diet drugs and that this
negligence resulted in injury to the plaintiffs of the Fen Phen class action
lawsuit. Through a Fen Phen class action lawsuit, AHP may be required to provide
restitution to the plaintiffs to compensate them for their losses.
After the recall major Fen Phen class action litigation contributed to the
development of a settlement fund established by American Home Products to
provide restitution to eligible Fen Phen side effects victims. In 2003 the New
York Times published a report which found that only one third of the 37,000
serious Fen Phen claims have been addressed by the settlement fund.
The deleterious consequences of Fen Phen use may not be apparent in patients for
years, especially in cases where they do not present outward signs of their
heath condition. The diagnosis of a Fen Phen injury is not simple and requires
echocardiogram testing and a meticulous review of a patient's medical
background. Some people who took Fen Phen years ago are just now being diagnosed
with life threatening cardiovascular problems.
For more free legal information on known dangerous drugs and Class Action Lawsuits, please use the
links below:
|
