Boston Fen-Phen Attorneys
Fen-Phen Long-Term Side Effects
There have been many "fads" since the 1990s advertising immediate and safe weight-loss results, which many people have enthusiastically taken advantage of. The most notorious of weight-loss drugs during this time was Fen-Phen, or Fenfluramine/Phentermine. It was not long, however, before reports of serious adverse effects, such as heart valve defects and primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH), began and, eventually, the drug was withdrawn from the market in 1997 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Unfortunately, many people, especially those who required and require cardiac shunt implants and secondary replacement surgery, still suffer from the dangerous, long-lasting effects of Fen-Phen.
Legal Options
At the Kiley Law Group, our unsafe drug attorneys in Massachusetts have been obtaining justice for our clients for over 30 years. We are committed to recovering maximum financial compensation for our clients. If you are suffering from heart damage or other long-term adverse effects of Fen-Phen, Thomas Kiley, the Million Dollar Man, and his team of experienced Boston Fen-Phen attorneys can help you get the compensation you deserve.
History of Fen-Phen
Over 20 years ago, Fenfluramine and Phentermine were approved as short-term-use diet aids, but were not very popular because they were not highly effective, until they were combined. After a four-year study, it was determined that the combination of the two drugs, termed Fen-Phen, did the job the drugs alone could not. Although the doctor heading the study looked for side effects, he did not come to any significant conclusions and assumed it was safe. He did look in the right places, however. In 1992, after the study was completed, Fen-Phen exploded on the market.
Reality of Fen-Phen Dangers
In July 1997, doctors reported that 24 women, taking Dexfenfluramine or Fenfluramine, developed a potentially fatal and rare heart valve abnormality. Once the FDA received initial reports, it asked doctors across the country to report any similar results. Over 100 reports of severe heart valve damage, or cardiac valvulopathy, and/or primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) followed. Although PPH is generally a rare and life threatening lung condition, Fen-Phen users were 23 to 43 times more likely to develop it.
Fen-Phen Study: Heart Valve Disease
The results of a study funded by WyethAyerst and authored by a cardiologist from Duke University Medical Center demonstrated that those who never took Fen-Phen had a 3.6 percent incident rate of heart valve disease. For those who took the drugs for six months to a year, the incident rate of heart disease increased to 7.0 percent, 13.6 percent for one to two years of use, and 17.4 percent for more than two years of use.
FDA Acts
In September 1997, the FDA took Fen-Phen off the market amidst criticism of its diet drug approval procedures. Considering that the severe side effects of Fen-Phen may have lingering effects on a person's heart, even if they no longer take the drug and haven't taken the drug for years, many legal battles and settlements followed and continue to persist.
Pursuing Your Legal Right for Financial Compensation
The development of any drug requires stringent testing procedures in order to prove the drug safe to market. Oftentimes, however, pharmaceutical companies rush through safety testing, or, as with Fen-Phen, do not conduct comprehensive safety testing, in order to more quickly market the medication. Subsequently, the researchers "miss something." Unfortunately, what they miss, as in the case of Fen-Phen, can cause severe and potentially fatal health conditions and complications.
The trusted Fen-Phen lawyers in Boston with the Kiley Law Group are dedicated to obtaining justice for our clients and are committed to holding negligent pharmaceutical companies liable for the injuries and suffering they cause. If you continue to suffer as a result of Fen-Phen side effects, call us today at (888) 208-1695 for a free legal consultation. The call may be free, but the information is priceless.
