Wyeth to pay Texas fen-phen plaintiffs millions

By William Murphy

Published on June 13, 2006

The money will come from a $21.1 billion reserve Wyeth created to settle all fen-phen related cases. Company spokesmen would not comment on details of the settlement, citing confidentiality concerns. However, the company reportedly regards the settlement as a positive step toward resolving all fen-phen litigation.

The company removed Pondimin and Redux from the marketplace in 1997. The drugs are the trade names fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine, respectively. When they are taken with phentermine, a drug that was commonly co-prescribed, a fen-phen "cocktail" is created. Fen-phen has been tied to heart valve problems and sometimes-fatal lung disorders.

The Texas settlement comes after Madison, NJ–based Wyeth announced in late May that it was ready to distribute $1.28 billion to compensate 40,000 people who took the fen-phen combination and were not able to participate in a 1999 class action settlement.

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