Fen-Phen Lawsuits: Shortness of Breath Could Signal PPH

Philadelphia, PALawsuits are still being filed against the maker of fen-phen, a popular diet drug combination that resulted in serious complications for many of the people who took it, including PPH.

Primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) and heart valve damage are two such complications. Many people who take medications do not think that they will develop side effects a long time after they take the drugs; however, in the case of fen-phen, PPH is still being diagnosed years after patients have stopped the medication.

In one case, a plaintiff has filed a lawsuit claiming that she was diagnosed with primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) eight years after she stopped taking fen-phen. She recently underwent a double-lung transplant, which she says saved her life. The plaintiff, Renee Tedesco, takes 30 pills every day, cannot pick up her grandson, and constantly wears a mask on her face. She says that she only took fen-phen for 90 days in 1997.

Initially, Tedesco was diagnosed with asthma. She was not diagnosed with PPH until years later when the condition had worsened to the point that she was near death. In fact, many people who developed PPH after taking fen-phen were not diagnosed for many years after they stopped taking the drug.

The book Dispensing with the Truth: The Battle over Fen-Phen, by Alicia Mundy, tells the story of the legal battle against Wyeth, then known as American Home Products, after users of Fen-Phen became seriously ill. One woman, whose account is given in the book, wanted to lose 25 pounds before she got married. Within twenty-three days of starting fen-phen, she complained of shortness of breath and dizziness. She stopped taking fen-phen but within ten months died of PPH. Before she died she suffered from exhaustion, dizziness, and swelling in her legs and stomach.

Although Wyeth, makers of fen-phen, reached a $4.75 billion settlement in a class action lawsuit claiming heart problems related to fen-phen, that settlement did not cover people who were diagnosed with PPH. Lawsuits filed against Wyeth claim that the company knew about the harmful effects of fen-phen but did not warn the public.

Although Wyeth is expected to argue that there is no way use of fen-phen could cause a disease that developed up to a decade after the drug's use, studies have shown otherwise. Even the American Lung Association states that the use of certain appetite suppressants has been linked to the risk of developing PPH, especially in cases where use lasted for more than three months. The association also reports studies that estimating that some antidepressants (including fen-phen) increase the risk of PPH from one to 28 cases per million person-years.

Some people may have developed PPH, and died from it, without realizing that they had it. They may also not realize that it could be related to their use of fen-phen. If you took fen-phen and suffer from shortness of breath, speak to a medical professional to discuss the risks of developing PPH. If you have PPH and took fen-phen talk to a lawyer to discuss your options.