LAWSUITS NEWS & LEGAL INFORMATION
Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH), and Fen-Phen
Were you looking for Fen-Phen lawsuits?
Fen-Phen and other diet drugs, including Adipex
, Redux and Pondimin , were widely prescribed in the 1990s as short-term appetite suppressants. However, according to the FDA, , up to 20 percent of patients who took Redux, Fen Phen or Pondimin suffered heart damage, including Primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH).
Although Fen-Phen was first withdrawn from the market in 2004 (and again in 2006) due to its association with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH), heart valve problems, and neurotoxicity of the brain, Fen-Phen diet pills containing ephedra are still sold over-the-counter, mainly in health food stores. Consequently, PPH and Fen-phen cases are increasing. As well, many people who took prescription Fen-Phen diet pills years ago have recently been diagnosed with PPH.
Since 1994, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received and investigated over 800 reports of adverse events associated with the use of products containing ephedra, namely Fen-phen. One report states that at least 150 deaths and numerous incidents of heart attacks, stroke, and dangerous spikes in high blood pressure have been associated with Fen-phen diet pills.
Reports included Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH)--now known as PAH (Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension), an incurable and potentially life threatening lung disorder in which the blood pressure in the pulmonary artery of the heart rises far above normal levels for no apparent reason.
What is Ephedra and Ephedrine?
Appetite suppressants containing ephedra, including the popular Fen-phen, were used for weight loss and enhancing sports performance. Ephedra is found in desert regions in central Asia and other parts of the world where the dried greens of the plant are used medicinally. The active ingredient in ephedra is ephedrine, a chemical stimulant that's similar to amphetamine. Manufacturers contended that these medicines were safe when taken as directed.
Ephedra was sold and used in many nutritional supplements marketed for weight loss and sports performance, as well as Chinese medicines in the United States up until these supplements were finally banned in 2006 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Ephedra, often referred to as "herbal fen-phen" is still on the market.
Primary Pulmonary Hypertension is an incurable condition that progresses over time—many people who took Fen-phen, in same cases more than a decade ago, have recently displayed symptoms of PPH.
Several years ago there was a nationwide class action against Wyeth [the company that bought American Home Products, the maker of Fen-phen] but it only encompassed mitral and aortic valve regurgitation. PPH claims were excluded from the class action but now people have brought about PPH claims independent of the class.
In September 2012, Pfizer lost a bid to have claims regarding Fen-phen dismissed. Those claims alleged Fen-phen caused persistent pulmonary hypertension more than 10 years after the drug was last used. This means patients could have developed PPH since the original Fen-phen settlement was announced and may be eligible to file a lawsuit.
Patients who previously filed lawsuits for Fen-Phen related heart valve damage are not precluded from filing a suit for PPH related to Fen-Phen use, nor are they barred by the same statute of limitations that applies to PPH related heart valve damage. With a PPH claim, generally your statute of limitations will start when you are first diagnosed; it is not necessarily time-sensitive due to Fen-phen's withdrawal from the market.
Along with possible lawsuits being investigated against the drug company Wyeth (that bought American Home Products), Interneuron Pharmaceuticals, and others, additional lawsuits may be brought against doctors and weight loss centers who prescribed Fen-Phen, Pondamin, Redux, Adipex, Ionamin and other diet drugs. These parties may face negligence and malpractice lawsuits since it is alleged that the drug makers did not fully test the drugs before marketing and the doctors prescribed the diet drugs with awareness of the dangerous side effects.
If you took a food supplement containing ephedra and have experienced symptoms such as excessive fatigue; difficulty in breathing; dizziness; fainting and weakness, ask your doctor to test for PPH. Many people who first experience PPH symptoms may not relate them to drug use.
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PPH, PAH and Fen-Phen
Since 1994, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received and investigated over 800 reports of adverse events associated with the use of products containing ephedra, namely Fen-phen. One report states that at least 150 deaths and numerous incidents of heart attacks, stroke, and dangerous spikes in high blood pressure have been associated with Fen-phen diet pills.
Reports included Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH)--now known as PAH (Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension), an incurable and potentially life threatening lung disorder in which the blood pressure in the pulmonary artery of the heart rises far above normal levels for no apparent reason.
What is Ephedra and Ephedrine?
Appetite suppressants containing ephedra, including the popular Fen-phen, were used for weight loss and enhancing sports performance. Ephedra is found in desert regions in central Asia and other parts of the world where the dried greens of the plant are used medicinally. The active ingredient in ephedra is ephedrine, a chemical stimulant that's similar to amphetamine. Manufacturers contended that these medicines were safe when taken as directed.
Ephedra was sold and used in many nutritional supplements marketed for weight loss and sports performance, as well as Chinese medicines in the United States up until these supplements were finally banned in 2006 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Ephedra, often referred to as "herbal fen-phen" is still on the market.
PPH Lawsuits
Several years ago there was a nationwide class action against Wyeth [the company that bought American Home Products, the maker of Fen-phen] but it only encompassed mitral and aortic valve regurgitation. PPH claims were excluded from the class action but now people have brought about PPH claims independent of the class.
In September 2012, Pfizer lost a bid to have claims regarding Fen-phen dismissed. Those claims alleged Fen-phen caused persistent pulmonary hypertension more than 10 years after the drug was last used. This means patients could have developed PPH since the original Fen-phen settlement was announced and may be eligible to file a lawsuit.
Patients who previously filed lawsuits for Fen-Phen related heart valve damage are not precluded from filing a suit for PPH related to Fen-Phen use, nor are they barred by the same statute of limitations that applies to PPH related heart valve damage. With a PPH claim, generally your statute of limitations will start when you are first diagnosed; it is not necessarily time-sensitive due to Fen-phen's withdrawal from the market.
Along with possible lawsuits being investigated against the drug company Wyeth (that bought American Home Products), Interneuron Pharmaceuticals, and others, additional lawsuits may be brought against doctors and weight loss centers who prescribed Fen-Phen, Pondamin, Redux, Adipex, Ionamin and other diet drugs. These parties may face negligence and malpractice lawsuits since it is alleged that the drug makers did not fully test the drugs before marketing and the doctors prescribed the diet drugs with awareness of the dangerous side effects.
If you took a food supplement containing ephedra and have experienced symptoms such as excessive fatigue; difficulty in breathing; dizziness; fainting and weakness, ask your doctor to test for PPH. Many people who first experience PPH symptoms may not relate them to drug use.
PPH, PAH and Fen-Phen Legal Help
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with PPH or PAH after taking Fen-Phen please click the link below to submit your complaint to a lawyer for a free case evaluation.Last updated on
PPH AND FEN-PHEN LEGAL ARTICLES AND INTERVIEWS
The Lasting Legacy of Fen-Phen
Cardiologist Prescribed Fen-Phen
Fen-Phen Side Effects and PPH: After All This Time, There Is Still Hope
February 16, 2015
Ask anyone who was at all concerned about their weight in the mid-to-late ’90s and they’ll likely remember the fen-phen debacle: A weight loss drug that came with an increased risk of serious heart and lung problems. Those problems - primary pulmonary hypertension (now called pulmonary atrial hypertension) and/or heart valve problems - were the basis of many a fen-phen lawsuit. Thanks to those problems, diet drugs today are looked at skeptically by everyone from patients to health care providers. READ MORE
Cardiologist Prescribed Fen-Phen
January 28, 2015
Marty’s Fen-Phen side effects weren’t serious enough to qualify for a Fen-Phen lawsuit back in 2002, but his symptoms, namely primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH), have since worsened. Marty also thought he couldn’t file a claim against the makers of the weight loss drug due to the statute of limitations. Because there is a latency period of PPH, the statute doesn’t necessarily apply. READ MORE
Fen-Phen Side Effects and PPH: After All This Time, There Is Still Hope
January 11, 2015
Remember Fen-Phen? Sure you do, especially if you were overweight in the 1990s and looking for a quick and easy way to shed the excess pounds from all that fast food, combined with lack of exercise. Fen-Phen, a hybrid of fenfluramine and phentermine, had been given the blessing of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and was touted as the miracle cure of the time for obesity. READ MORE
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READER COMMENTS
Ann Blake-Tracy
on
Rosemary Benson Rojas
on
I ditto prior comment@ that:l 5 Serious memory loss, blood clot with mennoragia n 1997 with seriously high BP (252/151) and. I have also undergone heart tests because of shortness of breath and dizziness.
Posted by
Louisiana
on September 28, 2012 Mirtal valve prolapse due to diet drugs adipex phen fen and pondomin which I never had before taking these medications. In August 2008 I have been diagnosed. For the past 3-4 years I have had some medical issues but I never realized that it could have stemmed from taking this medication. I started with a really bad shortness of breath and could not even climb stairs without shortness of breath and I was diagnosed with COPD.
. I have a feeling that all of this is related to me taking this medication in the past as I never had bad health problems like I do now. Also, only when I am in the middle of my chest pains does my BP climb very high otherwise it is usually normal. Over last two years, general decline in ability to walk and move, feeling ill and short of breath even at rest. He has lost the ability to perform routine tasks at home, and limited at work. Tests and hospitalization over the last two years have cost us financially by lost wages and medical bills.
randy lindstrom
on
When fen phen was available I actually lost enough weight to
finally be comfortable in my own skin! I thought finally I have a life. Now, of course, I'm back to the old familiar " can't stand to look in a mirror" body image.
For all the people like myself, who did not experience any negative effects from taking Fen Phen and whose life had greatly improved
as a result. How is that fair?
Please help me find online this miracle weight loss combination.
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