Fen-Phen Lawsuit - Payouts Continue To Users of Popular Diet Drug
Time is running out!
Fen-Phen claims are still being paid, but...
If you have been injured by taking Fen-Phen, you may be entitled to compensation. But, you need to contact us NOW, because time is of the essence. Soon it will be too late to file your claim.
You can get started by filling out the form on the right side of this page, or by calling us at (800) 648-4537.
Fen-Phen, and Cardiac Danger
Viles and Beckman, LLC helped pioneer Fen-Phen litigation, and was one of the first firms to file a class action lawsuit on behalf of the injured victims. Viles and Beckman have provided the media with valuable insight into the legal aspects of Fen-Phen cases, and were frequently consulted by the media. Additionally, Viles and Beckman were appointed as State Liaison counsel for the State of Florida in the nationwide 4.75 Billion dollar settlement. Viles and Beckman have represented hundreds of consumers in the litigation. Let our experience work for YOU.
In the middle of the 1990's, many of overweight Americans were taking Fen Phen (Fenfluramine and Phentermine) to achieve quick weight loss, based on the claims of the manufacturer, Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories. Fen Phen contained a combination of two drugs, Fenfluramine, and Phentermine. One acted as a powerful appetite suppressant, and the other prevented users from becoming lethargic. Patients quickly experienced dramatic weight loss, and the drug was dubbed a "miracle pill."
Health experts warned early on that Fen Phen should only be used by seriously obese patients under the careful care of their physicians, but many people, some only marginally overweight, still wanted this new "miracle" weight loss drug. Seemingly overnight, new weight loss clinics began to appear, prescribing Fen Phen to eager consumers.
The popularity of Fen Phen was short lived, and scientific evidence soon surfaced showing a link between serious heart valve damage and a fatal lung condition called primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH). By then, millions of Americans had used Fen Phen.
On September 15th, 1997, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) said it asked Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories to remove Fen Phen from the market due to the potentially deadly effects. Soon after, Fen Phen users began filing lawsuits. A 1999 class action lawsuit ensued. Viles and Beckman represented many of the plaintiffs with Fen Phen claims.
Since then, total charges for Fen Phen has cost Wyeth $21 billion. In October 2004, Wyeth warned it might need to set aside additional reserves to cover more Fen Phen liability, including tens of thousands of former patients who have filed lawsuits alleging they were harmed by the products and were not adequately warned of the risks.
In Q4, the Wyeth lost over $1.75 billion. Wyeth has proposed settlement involving about 60,000 people who opted not to participate or were not eligible to participate in a 1999 class action settlement that covered most people who took Redux and Pondimin, half of the diet drug combination contained in Fen Phen. A settlement would resolve the opt-out Fen Phen cases from going to trial, but internal FDA documents regarding the questionability of Fen Phen's safety have been clearly outlined.
The documents include former FDA reviewer Leo Lutwak's email to a colleague sent about a year prior to the Fen Phen recall stating that the drugs' marginal benefits "should be brought out." Lutwak wrote on September 24, 1996, "If this hurts the sales, so be it. The company has gotten away with much manipulation these past 3 years, of the public, of the press, of the FDA." He continued voicing his frustration in an email describing the difficulties he had with Fen Phen and the FDA saying, "I started getting upset about this drug in '93 or '94 and was running into a lot of blocks from the FDA and from the drug company."
Wyeth is seeking to achieve settlement of all new Fen Phen charges for less than $2 billion, but that is below what experts predict for incremental costs required to resolve litigation in the range of $4 to $6 billion.
Additional Compensation Available to "Green Forms" Claimants Until 2015
If you suffered valvular heart disease due to Fen Phen and received compensation under the Diet Drugs Settlement, you may be entitled to additional compensation. For example, if you had heart disease at Level 1 or Level 2 under the settlement and now require heart valve surgery, you may submit a new claim and could be eligible for a recovery of several hundred thousand dollars. The deadline to submit your new claims varies. For certain patients, it is December 31, 2011. For other patients, it is December 31, 2015. Contact us for free to find out what your compensation might be, and to find out more about the cut-off dates for claims.Related Links
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/ucm072820.htmHave you taken Fen-Phen?
If you or a loved one has taken the diet medication Fen-Phen, contact us now - you may be able to collect damages. Contact Viles and Beckman, LLC at 1 (800) 648-4537 or at 1 (239) 334-3933 or fill out the FREE CASE REVIEW form on the right side of this page.
We'll contact you back right away to discuss your legal strategy, and how we may be able to get you financially compensated.
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