$4 Billion Fen-Phen Settlement Reported
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 1999 -- American Home Products has offered to pay $4 billion to settle consumer class action lawsuits involving fen-phen, the New York Times reported.
The diet pills were taken off the market in 1997 after reports that they could cause heart-valve damage.
The $4 billion settlement would be used to set up a fund that would compensate persons who had already been injured and to monitor consumers who had taken the drug but not yet developed symptoms.
It's estimated that at least 6 million people took diet pill combinations of fenfluramine and phentermine before the combination was withdrawn. There were about 4,100 suits pending at the time of the reported settlement.
