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July
9, 1997
– A
nationwide Fen Phen class action lawsuit was filed in federal district
court. The lawsuit alleged that defendants, manufacturers of Fen Phen,
failed to adequately and appropriately warn physicians and consumers
that the Fen Phen drug combination was not approved by the FDA, and had
not been tested by appropriate clinical trials. In subsequent individual
lawsuits on behalf of Fen Phen users, Plaintiff’s counsel alleged that
the patients suffered injuries including heart valve regurgitation,
valvular heart disease, or an increased risk of developing these
conditions, and primary pulmonary hypertension ("PPH"). Source: http://www.fen-phen-legal-resources.com/timeline.htm
(Deborah: DO NOT HYPERLINK)
November 13, 1997
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Federal Government recommends physical examinations for Fen Phen users.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today issued
preliminary recommendations for the medical management of people who
took the diet drugs fenfluramine or dexfenfluramine. The
recommendations, published in the November 14 issue of Morbidity and
Mortality Weekly Report, were developed jointly by the Food and Drug
Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the
National Institutes of Health. "Since these drugs were withdrawn from
the U.S. market last September, many people who took them have been
asking what they should do," said FDA's lead deputy commissioner Michael
Friedman, M.D. "We in the government, together with the medical
community, have developed these recommendations to provide guidance
based on the best information we have at this time." Source: FOOD AND
DRUG ADMINISTRATION (P97-36)
December 10, 1997
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Federal Lawsuits Transferred to Single District Court. The Judicial
Panel on Multidistrict Litigation transferred all federal diet drug
cases to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of
Pennsylvania. The cases were coordinated before Chief Judge Emeritus
Louis C. Bechtle under the caption: In re Diet Drugs. Source: (Phentermine
/ Fenfluramine / Dexfenfluramine) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No.
1203 (E.D. Pa.).
August 28, 2000
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Final Approval of Settlement Granted. Under a nationwide settlement of
the litigation with the maker of Fen Phen, the deadline for Fen-Phen
users who have incurred heart valve damage to register their
echocardiogram test results with the Claims Administrator to obtain
compensation is May 3, 2002. Fen Phen users who are without health
insurance and lack the means to pay for their own echocardiogram may
contact Mobile Sound Imaging, LLC, which is providing echocardiogram
tests in communities across the nation for no charge. The program is for
people who took Pondimin or Redux for 61 days or longer or have noticed
symptoms of heart or lung disease. There are certain conditions attached
to the program.
Under the class action settlement with American Home Products for people
who ingested Pondimin or Redux, claims for compensation for heart valve
damage maybe made until May 3, 2003, and until December 15, 2015 for
persons who have registered with the Settlement Trust and have provided
threshold evidence of damage by May 3, 2003. Injured persons, however,
should not delay contacting an attorney concerning their claims for primary pulmonary ypertension.
Do I have a Primary Pulmonary Hypertension case?
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