PPH: Why you should Worry, What you should Do

Paramus, NJMuch has been written over the past few years about PPH (Primary Pulmonary Hypertension) and the various class action suits that have been launched. At issue, of course, are the diet drugs that are alleged to increase the risk factors of PPH.

Many of those drugs are no longer on the market, and have been out of circulation since September 15, 1997. That's when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested that the makers of Pondimin (fenfluramine) and Redux (dexfenfluramine) voluntarily remove their products from store shelves. Phentermine, another diet suppressant that aids the process of weight loss, was allowed to remain in circulation.

The concerns over Redux and Pondimin focused on the emergence of abnormalities in heart valve functionality, in patients who were taking either of the drugs.

However, an even greater concern lay with the growing practise of combining Redux or Pondimin (fenfluramine) with phentermine - the so-called 'Fen-phen' cocktail. Even though the drugs were never approved to be used in combination, and doing so was considered 'off-label' - a growing number of people suffering from extreme weight issues flocked to Fen-phen.

That's when researchers at the Mayo clinic began noticing a spike in the numbers of women experiencing valvular heart disease. Many of these patients were overweight, and taking Fen-phen. The Mayo researchers found a link, and in July 1997 the FDA weighed in on the Fen-phen phenomenon.

What does that have to do with PPH?

Plenty. Primary Pulmonary Hypertension is yet another malady linked to the use of Fen-phen and other diet drugs. According to the American Lung Association, PPH is still quite rare with one to two cases per million, or 300 new cases per year. Actual cause is unknown and can affect people of any age, although it is more common in women between 21 and 40 years of age.

PPH is a gradual narrowing of the blood vessels in the lungs. This leads to higher pulmonary blood pressure and can eventually lead to heart failure. It has long been suspected that the use of diet drugs can increase the risk of developing PPH. To that end, the Fen-phen cocktail was found to have a definite link to PPH.

What does that have to do with you?

You may have taken diet suppressants years ago, to battle a weight problem that has long since been resolved. Perhaps you were on Fen-phen. Perhaps you felt fine at the time, and have seemed okay ever since.

But perhaps now you may be experiencing shortness of breath following exertion, excessive fatigue, dizziness, fainting or weakness. You may even have some ankle-swelling going on there, or even chest pain.

The above could be a number of things, and you should seek medical advice right away.
However, it could also be PPH, the onset of which may have happened ten years ago, when Redux and Pondimin were recalled, and Fen-phen was finally singled out as not being a very good idea.

And therein lay the issue: the potential for delayed onset of PPH, a condition that is often mis-diagnosed. PPH can also take years to emerge, because it is such a gradual progression.

The point is that if you are experiencing any symptoms of PPH - and you have taken diet pills or appetite suppressants in the past, you could be a candidate for compensation.

Renee Tedesco of Paramus, New Jersey is one such case. She was diagnosed last April with PPH ten years after she began using Fen-phen. She is one of five women suing drug maker Wyeth, alleging that the drugs Redux and Pondimin caused them to develop PPH at least eight years after they stopped taking the drugs.

Three years ago a jury in Texas awarded the family of a woman who died from PPH at the age of 41 after taking Fen-phen - over $1 bllion dollars. Wyeth appealed, and settled with the plaintiffs out of court - but the judgement remains the most vivid illustration that health problems linked to diet drugs could net potential plaintiffs or their families, compensation awards.

Wyeth has set aside more than $21 billion dollars to fund expected settlements in current, pending, and future litigation.