Fen Phen
Drug made of the combination of fenfluramine
and phentermine for use as an appetite suppressant in the management of
obesity. Also known as Fen-Phen, PhenFen, or Phen-Fen.
Fen Phen Background
From 1989 through September 1997, two prescription drugs for weight loss
were sold in the United States under the brand names Pondimin (fenfluramine)
and Redux (dexfenfluramine). Beginning in 1992, physicians commonly prescribed
Pondimin in combination with phentermine, another prescription diet drug.
Phentermine was, and still is, manufactured by various entities and is
distributed and sold under several different brand names. The combination
of Pondimin with phentermine was often referred to as "fen-phen."
From January 1995 until September 1997 approximately four million persons
in the United States took Pondimin. Similarly, from June 1986 through
September 1997, two million people in this country used Redux.
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Fen-Phen Drug Combination
- Health Effects
During the period from March to August 1997, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester,
Minnesota observed and reported an association between the use of
fenfluramine and/or dexfenfluramine and valvular heart disease ("VHD").
On September 15, 1997, the FDA announced that there would be no further
sales of Pondimin and Redux in the United States. Since the withdrawal,
epidemiological studies have established a causal relationship between
fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine and VHD. |
Epidemiological studies have also established
that fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine cause a fatal disease known as primary
pulmonary hypertension ("PPH").
Sources include: www.fen-phen-legal-resources.com
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