PPH NEWS is an education-based resource site that provides information on the health issues surrounding Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH), including what it is, the symptoms, diagnoses, and treatment options.
This website also provides resource to learn more about your legal rights and remedies if you or someone you know has developed PPH due to the use of diet drugs such as Fen Phen.

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Connection Between Fen Phen and PPH

Primary pulmonary hypertension, or PPH, is a disorder in which the blood pressure in the arteries of the lung is abnormally high in the absence of other diseases of the heart or lungs. The rare but serious disease causes progressive narrowing of blood vessels in the lungs. Because of this, the blood pressure in the lungs rises and eventually leads to heart failure.

Though researchers are not exactly sure what causes PPH, a connection between certain drug use and disease onset has been made. The diet drug combination fen phen has been known to raise the risk of PPH when taken for three months or longer. Back in the mid-90s, the use of fen phen was widespread. Though the FDA never approved the combination of fenfluramine and phentermine, the combination of fen phen, an estimated 25 million prescriptions were written for the diet drug.

In 1997, evidence of potentially deadly and serious health effects was linked to fen phen and the drug was withdrawn from the market. Thousands of lawsuits were immediately filed because of the heart disease and PPH linked to the drug’s use. Diagnosing PPH is difficult in regular medical checkups because of the similarity between PPH symptoms and so many other disorders that affect the lungs and heart. Typical PPH symptoms include shortness of breath following exertion, excessive fatigue, dizziness, fainting and weakness, chest pain, ankle swelling, bluish lips and skin and other symptoms.

Studies have shown it can take years before patients develop PPH, despite discontinuing the use of fen phen. Some experts believe the latency period between taking fen phen and suffering from PPH can be 10 years or more. Although class actions were settled after the fen phen recall, in January 2005, Wyeth said that as many as 61,000 fen phen cases have yet to be resolved out of more than 70,000 filed so far.

Wyeth’s total charges for fen phen had already crossed the $21 billion mark, but the ongoing litigation involves people who opted not to participate or were not eligible to participate in a 1999 class action settlement. Because of the high popularity of fen phen during its time on the market, and the serious side effects like heart valve damage and PPH linked to its use, Wyeth’s liability exceeded its original reserves.

PPH cannot be cured, but some drugs can reduce symptoms. As of the end of 2004, Wyeth had paid out $13.9 billion because of fen phen liability.

Contact Us if you have sustained any deadly health complications such as primary pulmonary hypertension to collect your claims.

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