The use of the diet drug known as fen-phen has resulted in serious medical and neuropsychological complications. Fen-phen is actually the term referring to the combination of two drugs, fenfluramine (Pondimin) and phentermine (Fastin), employed in the treatment of obesity.

Millions of Americans were prescribed these drugs before Pondimin and Redux were removed from the market in 1997 and many suffer, or have suffered, from serious side effects. For a sizable number of patients, these side effects may not yet be apparent. Unfortunately for others, the use of fen-phen proved to be fatal.

Serious medical complications have also been shown to occur after the use of fenfluramine (Pondimin), and a related compound dexfenfluramine (Redux), when used alone.

Efforts have been made to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for the damage sustained by those individuals who used their products, through legislation or through pharmaceutical lawsuits.

One response involves efforts by Congress to introduce legislation to tighten controls related to the development and approval of new drugs.

The other response involves pharmaceutical lawsuits filed by fen-phen lawyers on behalf of individuals or groups of people who suffered these damages.

Pharmaceutical lawsuits have been filed by phen-fen attorneys in virtually every jurisdiction across the country. There have been sizable settlements to date, and new suits continue.

Because the specific damage sustained by users of fen-phen may not yet be apparent, pharmaceutical lawsuits related to the use of this drug combination will likely continue for some time.

The number and size of monetary awards facilitated by fen-phen lawyers and pharmaceutical lawsuits related to damages have crippled the makers of the fen-phen component fenfluramine shown to be responsible for personal injuries.

This has forced this company to make a number of changes with respect to anticipated mergers and diversification, and resulted in the liquidation of various assets in order to pay for individual settlements or to establish and maintain a fund designed to compensate individuals who are part of a group named in class action suits.

Should the company survive, it is hoped that the financial hardship related to compensation for medical costs, lost earnings and pain and suffering, as well as those related to punitive damages, will lead to redefined practices in the future.

A wide variety of similar pharmaceutical lawsuits have been filed against a number of pharmaceutical companies related to other products that have been shown to be a hazard to select patients who received those drugs.

An important component of efforts to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable, relative to damages sustained as a result of using their products, is the myriad of pharmaceutical lawsuits filed by fen-phen lawyers on behalf of patients who purchased and used those products.