Ex-FenPhen Users Have Serious Heart Problems 7 Years Later

Women at Greater Risk

A new study published in the British medical journal, BMC Medicine (BioMed Central) has revealed that people who stopped using diet drugs known as fenfluramines, which include FenPhen, as long ago as 11 years had damaged heart valves as much as 7 years later.

The study followed 5,743 former fenfluramine users between 1997 and 2004. The researchers found that 0.44 percent had required valve surgery due to their use of the diet drugs. The risk for valve surgery was 7 fold greater than that seen in patients who had not used the diet drugs. Women were found to have a higher incidence of heart valve problems than men, 20 percent vs.12 percent at the study outset.

Fenphen was banned in 1997 in the United States because of its association with heart problems. However, it now appears that the risks inherent with these medications were not eliminated by banning the drug. In fact, the realities of serious heart problems remain for years afterwards.

Worse, the researchers of this latest study suggest that their results may not have captured the full risk. "This is probably a conservative estimate, another study has shown that there exists a 17- to 34-fold excess of clinically apparent -- presumably severe -- valvular disease in persons who had used fenfluramines for four months or longer."

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If you or a loved one has suffered illness, hospitalization or serious adverse events, or required surgery as a result of using fenfluramines, please click the link below and your complaint will be sent to a lawyer who may evaluate your claim at no cost or obligation.
Published on Nov-6-08