Fen-Phen
In 1997, the FDA asked American Home Products Corporation, the makers of Pondimin® (fenfluramine) and ReduxT (dexfenfluramine), to withdraw it's popular diet drugs from the market. American Home Products Corporation of Madison, New Jersey, manufactured fenfluramine under the brand name Pondimin® and the American Home Product's subsidiary Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, manufactured dexfenfluramine for Interneuron Pharmaceuticals, which was marketed under the name of ReduxT. Medical studies have linked Pondimin® and ReduxT to heart valve and other medical problems.
The FDA stated that in findings from doctors who evaluated patients that took fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine, with echocardiograms, that approximately 30 percent of patients who were evaluated had abnormal echocardiograms, even though they had no symptoms. This is a much higher than expected percentage of abnormal test results.
Additionally a Mayo Clinic study that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on August 28, 1997 suggested that as high as one-third of a patient sampling of Fen-Phen diet drug users had evidence of heart valve disease. The study found that there was a high incidence of heart valve disease in patients taking these diet pills, without any other known reason for valve disease.
About 6 million people took these diet drugs before they were pulled off the market by the FDA in 1997. Recently, a $3.75 billion settlement for thousands of people who took the Fen-Phen diet drug combination received court approval and became final.
If you took the diet drugs Pondimin® or ReduxT, or if you took the diet drug combination referred to as "Fen-Phen", you may be entitled to receive cash benefits and also may be entitled to medical testing services and other benefits under the court-approved settlement agreement with American Home Products Corporation. To receive these benefits, you must comply with certain filing requirements and deadlines to preserve your rights under the settlement.
The Law Firm represents persons who have taken these diet drugs and will pursue and preserve your rights to compensation and medical benefits. Please call for free consultation.