What is Fen Phen?

The diet pill known as Fen Phen was extremely popular in the U.S. during the 1990s, as Americans tried to battle obesity with a quick fix. However, the pill turned out to be not just an aid in losing weight but a dangerous drug that threatened the health of many who took it, resulting in a long and drawn-out series of lawsuits and the eventual removal of the drug from the market.

Main Ingredients

The weight-loss drug Fen Phen consists of two diet drugs, fenfluramine and phentermine. Fenfluramine releases additional amounts of the seratonin neurotransmitter to the brain to create an artificial feeling of fullness. Phentermine is a stimulant that promotes weight loss by suppressing the appetite. It is similar to an amphetamine.

What It Does

By suppressing appetite and promoting a feeling of satiety, Fen Phen is effective in curbing food intake and helping patients to lose weight. In a four-year study conducted before the widespread release of Fen Phen, 121 patients averaging 200 pounds lost approximately 32 pounds each while taking the drug.

History

Fenfluramine was first introduced in the U.S. as a diet pill in 1973. However, it was not very successful because it caused negative side effects like drowsiness and depression. In the early 1980s, it was discovered that phentermine reduced the negative side effects of fenfluramine, and so the two were combined to create Fen Phen. The drug was studied for several years and, in 1992, doctors began prescribing it frequently as an anti-obesity medication. It had not been approved by the FDA. By 1995, Fen Phen was extremely popular in the U.S. and was being manufactured by American Home Products (now Wyeth) as the brand-name weight-loss drug Redux. But, in 1997, Fen Phen was linked to pulmonary hypertension and heart-valve disease. It was then taken off the market.

The Damages

In 1997, a doctor at the Mayo Clinic reported 24 cases of heart-valve disease in patients taking Fen Phen. Another 75 cases were reported to the FDA, and it was determined that approximately 30 percent of the patients on Fen Phen were experiencing irregular echocardiogram results. Wyeth, Fen Phen's manufacturer, was faced with a slew of lawsuits over Fen Phen and was forced to pay over $13 billion dollars in claims to patients who had taken the drug.

The Outcome

Fen Phen is no longer available as a prescription drug, though there are still instances of its being sold illegally via online and unapproved sources. Lawsuit claims are still being settled, and many former Fen Phen patients are still struggling with heart-valve damage and pulmonary hypertension.

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