Fen-phen Settlement Covers Least Serious Claims

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May 30th, 2006

"Fen-phen Settlement Covers Least Serious Claims"

A federal judge approved a settlement that will cover more than 40,000 people who suffered injury from the controversial fen-phen diet pills that were pulled from the market in 1997.

This agreement, known as the seventh amendment to the Nationwide Diet Drug Settlement, covers the least serious, but largest number, of outstanding injury claims stemming from a 1999 class-action settlement with Wyeth, the company that made the dangerous diet-cocktails.

According to the amendment, Wyeth must create a $1.28 billion dollar fund to pay for the claims. So far, the company has contributed $425 million and said it will deposit the remainder as needed. Wyeth has allotted a total of $21.1 billion for litigation expenses, settlement costs, and trial awards.

The judge’s action doesn’t end all unresolved fen-phen lawsuits, since thousands of former users of the drugs have rejected the national settlement preferring instead to sue Wyeth individually for larger compensation. The amendment will, however, help the company to focus on these more serious and difficult claims.

Approximately 5.8 million people took fen-phen, a slimming cocktail made from a combination of either Pondimin (fenfluramine) or Redux (dexfenfluramine) – both Wyeth drugs – and a non-Wyeth drug called phentermine.