Jury Clears Wyeth of Liability in Philadelphia Fen-Phen Cases
A Philadelphia jury has cleared Wyeth Pharmaceuticals of liability in four personal injury cases involving the diet drug combination fen-phen, which was pulled from the market in 1997 following claims the product caused heart damage.
The jurors in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas ruled in favor of Wyeth in the cases that asserted Wyeth was negligent in the information it provided about the risks and benefits of Pondimin (fenfluramine HCl) prior to 1997, the firm said. The plaintiffs had alleged heart-valve injury from the use of Pondimin, which was widely used in the 1990s with Redux (dexfenfluramine) as the combination product fen-phen.
The Pennsylvania cases involved plaintiffs who opted out of the 2000 National Diet Drug Settlement, under which Wyeth agreed to provide various benefits to fen-phen users, including refunds for the cost of the drugs, medical screenings, additional medical services and substantial compensation in the event of serious heart-valve problems.
According to a Wyeth spokesman, 75,000 individuals opted out of the settlement as of Dec. 31, 2004, and 62,000 individuals had pending lawsuits against Wyeth. The firm has set aside $21.1 billion for potential liability in the opt-out lawsuits, as well as to cover the national settlement. In November 2004, Wyeth lost cases involving four plaintiffs in Pennsylvania and was found liable for $2.14 million in compensatory damages.
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