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Effects From Fen-Phen

Fen-Phen was a popular weight-loss drug for severely obese patients in the 1990s, until it became responsible for many deaths. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested the immediate recall of Fen-Phen, and for patients to stop taking the drug, in September 1997.

  1. Fenfluramine

    • Fenfluramine was first prescribed for weight loss on its own, without phentermine. It affected the body's seratonin, which is a chemical responsible for metabolism, sleep and appetite.

    Phentermine

    • Phetermine is an amphetamine-like drug. It acts as an appetite suppressant. While weight-loss drugs containing Fenfluramine had been on the market since 1973, according to a PBS report (see link below), Phetermine was combined with it to create Fen-Phen in 1995.

    FDA Approval

    • The FDA approved Fen-Phen for the U.S. market in April 1996. A similar drug marketed in Europe had raised alarm bells shortly before this, but the FDA paid no heed.

    The New England Journal of Medicine

    • Dr. Heidi Connelly of the Mayo Clinic published an article in The New England Journal of Medicine in August 1997, in which she cited rare heart valve abnormalities and pulmonary hypertension in patients who had been taking Fen-Phen. Some had been taking the drug for only one month prior to being screened.

    Pulling Fen-Phen From the Market

    • After receiving more than 100 reports of patients having heart problems after taking Fen-Phen, the FDA removed it from the market. Fenfluramine is the only drug that has been made illegal, not phentermine. Phentermine can still be found in weight-loss drugs today, and patients who took Fen-Phen will be at risk of leaky heart valves, heart disease and lung disease for the rest of their lives.

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