Primary Pulmonary Hypertension - Causes and Legal Rights
Primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) is a rare condition associated with an arterial blood pressure exceeding 25 mmHg in the pulmonary artery. For the most part, primary pulmonary hypertension occurs without any obvious cause, typically being linked with genetic disposition to the disease.
Causes of Primary Pulmonary Hypertension
It is now known that that primary pulmonary hypertension can be caused by the use of certain diet drugs. Fen Phen, Redux (dexfenfluramine) and Pondimin (fenfluramine) are three such diet drugs that have been linked with PHH.
Fen Phen – A type of anti-obesity medication (anorectic), Fen Phen is no longer widely available because of its link to valvular heart disease and pulmonary hypertension. Fen Phen consisted of two drugs, fenfluramine and phentermine.
Redux – A type of serotonin reuptake inhibitor and releasing agent, Redux (dexfenfluramine hydrochloride) has been shown to lead to pulmonary hypertension in a number of cases. As a result of growing safety concerns, the makers of Redux voluntarily removed their product from the market at the behest of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Pondimin – Pondimin is the brand name for fenfluramine, an anti-obesity drug that is part of the Fen Phen family. Pondimin manipulates the central nervous system by increasing the levels of serotonin, producing a sensation of being full. An appetite suppressant, Pondimin was withdrawn from the US market in 1997 after links were drawn between the drug and various heart conditions (such as PPH).
Use of the aforementioned diet drugs has been shown to produce heart valve defects in addition to a cause of primary pulmonary hypertension. Defective heart valves can be detected through a non-invasive ultrasound examination of the heart called an echocardiograph.
Legal Rights for Primary Pulmonary Hypertension Sufferers
Drug manufacturers are required to test and monitor their products prior to marketing them. The clinical trial process allows for drugs to be monitored for toxicity issues and notable side effects. Many side effects or problems related to the use of a drug can be latent, so the final phase (phase four) of any clinical trial revolves around long term studies designed to monitor drug users over long periods of time.
A number of diet drugs of the Fen Phen (fenfluramine and phentermine) family that were initially approved for use by the FDA have since been removed from the market because of latent side effects; in the case of the Fen Phen diet drugs, the development of primary pulmonary hypertension or valvular heart disease has led to market removal.
People who have developed PPH or valvular heart disease as a result of taking diet drugs may be eligible to receive compensation for their illness. A number of personal injury firms located throughout the country specialize in litigating the cases of those who have been injured as a result of the negligence of large pharmaceutical companies whose shortsightedness in developing cosmetic weight loss medication has been the cause of serious heart conditions and death for many individuals.
In the calendar year 2000, there were 163,000 hospital discharges in which one of the diagnoses was primary pulmonary hypertension; there are 500 to 1,000 new cases of PPH diagnosed each year in the United States. In 1999, American Home Products Corporation (makers of Fen Phen) agreed to pay a $3.75 billion settlement to compensate thousands of people who used the product and developed some type of heart disease. It is estimated that the total cost of liability for the Fen Phen manufacturers will eventually exceed $14 billion. Learn about your PPH legal rights.