Phen-Fen refers to the combination of fenfluramine or
dexfenfluramine with phentermine. Phen-Fen was
marketed in the 1990's as a weight loss solution. In
the summer of 1999, the Mayo Clinic announced that 24
patients had developed heart valve disease after
taking Phen-Fen. Under pressure from the FDA and the
public, the manufacturer of the drugs (Pondimin and
Redux), American Home Products Corporation, withdrew
them from the market. Thousands of individual lawsuits
and multiple class-actions were filed in federal and
state courts across the country. In late 1997, all
federal Phen-Fen cases were transferred to
Pennsylvania to better coordinate pre-trial
proceedings through a multi-district litigation. Under
federal law, most people are automatically included in
the nation-wide class action settlement that resulted,
unless they chose to "opt out". This means
that individuals with valid claims could only seek
pre-defined compensation unless they filled out a form
and submitted it to the court-specified address. The
initial "opt out" deadline has passed.
However, the settlement agreement contains an
intermediate "opt out" deadline and a
"back-end opt out" period for individuals
meeting certain requirements. As a result, you may
still have the right to pursue an individual lawsuit
for the full amount of compensatory damages as well as
punitive damages against American Home Products
Corporation.
If you or a loved one has suffered an injury as a
result of Phen-Fen, call Attorneys911
at our toll free number, (800) 300-0001 or submit
an online questionnaire. The initial consultation
is free of charge, and if we agree to handle your
case, we will work on a contingency fee basis
(excludes Criminal Cases), which means we get paid for
our services only if there is a monetary recovery of
funds. In many cases a lawsuit must be filed before an
applicable expiration date, known as a statute of
limitations so please call right away to ensure that
you do not waive your right to possible compensation.
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