The Fen-Phen Bottom Line

In response to society's obsession with graceful good looks and trim waistlines, manufacturers of weight loss products discovered the affects of Fenfluramine, commonly called Fen-Phen. While Fen-Phen was remarkably successful in lowering body weight and improving an individual's appearance, it left behind a wave of Fen-Phen related health issues.

In 1997, when the health affects of fen-phen were discovered, the Food and Drug Administration asked companies to remove Fen-Phen from their products on a voluntary basis. Some companies complied, while of course others did not.

In the wake of the Fen-Phen craze, those who were returning from their doctors with abnormal echocardiograms were suddenly realizing the devastating possibilities caused by Fen-Phen and immediately began filing Fen-Phen lawsuits. The Fen-Phen lawsuits and lawyers were able to bring international attentions the Fen-Phen epidemic. With over thirty percent of those who ingested Fen-Phen experiencing either symptoms or complicated echocardiogram results, Fen-Phen lawyers began researching the products, the company responses, and the projected health effects related to taking Fen-Phen. The results were shocking.

It wasn't until 1997 that Fen-Phen was officially recalled, and in that time only a handful of companies responded to the voluntary removal of Fen-Phen from their products. Fen-Phen lawyers soon discovered that those who had taken Fen-Phen were now experiencing a remarkably high rate of a lung condition known as PPH, or primary pulmonary hypertension, which is potentially fatal.

Fen-Phen lawsuits and eventually Fen-Phen class action suits began to flood the civil court system. Fen-Phen lawyers soon realized that years could pass before the individual was no longer at risk from the effects of taking Fen-Phen.

The filing of Fen-Phen class action lawsuits by the now nearly expert Fen-Phen lawyers increased dramatically over a period of three years as more and more cases of Fen-Phen related health related complications and deaths skyrocketed.

The majority of patients diagnosed with Fen-Phen related Primary Pulmonary Hypertension are only expected to live for about three years from diagnosis. In this short time, ample medical intervention is required and the financial effects from the severity of the illness hampers the patient's ability to work.

While there are critics that state the fen-phen lawsuits are filed by the Fen-Phen lawyers to exploit the financial structure of the diet pill manufacturers, the long term devastating effects of Fen-Phen related health issues have been proven to cause destruction to the families of the patients. Whether taking a prescribed medication or an over the counter drug, the public has a right to a level of trust that the companies that produce these drugs are not going to intentionally harm them. Of course, what other conclusion can we draw from the ignored voluntary request to remove Fen-Phen products from the production line?