Five women who claim that the fen-phen pill combination caused their development of a potentially fatal lung disease more than eight years after they stopped taking them are suing Wyeth.
In one of the complaints filed in state court, New Jersey woman Renee Tedesco claims that she developed primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) 10 years after she started using fen-phen.
Tedesco, 53, was forced to undergo a dual-lung transplant last month “to address her then-near-fatal condition,” the lawsuit, filed by Tedesco’s lawyer said.
Tedesco, and the other four women are represented by Alex MacDonald and Kenneth Rothweiler of the law firm of Eisenberg, Rothweiler, Winkler, Eisenberg, and Jeck, P.C.
Wyeth officials waged a “knowingly false campaign of misinformation and disinformation” about the safety of the drugs Pondimin and Redux, and whether they can cause the lung disease, PPH many years after stopping usage, said Tedesco’s lawyers.
The lawsuits dispute Wyeth’s claims that the health risks associated with fen-phen use persist for only one year after use is discontinued. The former fen-phen users affirm that Wyeth hid the risks associated with fen-phen use to protect sales.
“Wyeth’s reliance on medical science fiction is a disingenuous effort to curtail its financial and legal obligations to individuals and families,” said Tedesco’s lawyers.
Other Suits
Doctors prescribed the fen-phen combination more than six million times before it was discontinued upon discovery of its propensity to cause certain serious heart conditions.
Since fen-Phen was pulled off the market in 1997, Wyeth has set aside more than $21 billion to settle lawsuits arising over the diet drugs. Wyeth said it has resolved the vast majority of the 175,000 claims, most of which were filed by former users who have developed heart problems.
Wyeth said it has faced 95 PPH suits as of Oct. 15, and expects it may face more.
In one notable case, a Texas jury ordered Wyeth to pay $1 billion to the family of a woman who developed PPH and died after taking fen-phen.
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