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Fen Phen and PPH
Fen Phen / Phen Fen
Fen Phen refers to the use in combination of fenfluramine
and phentermine. Phentermine has also been used in combination
with dexfenfluramine ("dexfen-phen"). Fenfluramine
("fen") and phentermine ("phen") are prescription
medications that have been approved by the FDA for many years
as appetite suppressants for the short-term (a few weeks)
management of obesity. Phentermine was approved in 1959 and
fenfluramine in 1973. Dexfenfluramine (Redux) was approved
in 1996 for use as an appetite suppressant in the management
of obesity. Recently, some physicians have prescribed fenfluramine
or dexfenfluramine in combination with phentermine, often
for extended periods of time, for use in weight loss programs.
Use of drugs in ways other than described in the FDA-approved
label is called "off-label use." In the case of
fen-phen and dexfen-phen, no studies were presented to the
FDA to demonstrate either the effectiveness or safety of the
drugs taken in combination.
Fen Phen Problems
On July 8, 1997, the Mayo Clinic reported 24 patients developed
heart valve disease after taking Fen Phen. In five patients
who underwent valve replacement surgery, the diseased valves
were found to have distinctive features similar to those seen
in carcinoid syndrome. The cluster of unusual cases of valve
disease in Fen Phen users suggested that there might be an
association between Fen Phen use and valve disease.
This unacceptable risk led the FDA to withdraw dexfenfluramine
(Redux) and fenfluramine (Pondimin) from the market in September
1997.
Fen Phen Diet Drugs
Diet drug Fen Phen has been marketed under the names Pondimin,
Redux, Fenfluramine, and Dexfenfluramine. The once popular
diet drug caused serious health complications like primary
pulmonary that were the direct result of taking the drug and
have led to a nationwide fen phen lawsuit..
Common Fen Phen spellings
Fen-phen is also spelled Phen Fen, Phen-Phen, Phen/Phen,
Fen-Fen and Fen/Fen.
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