Transcript - Fen-Phen Diet Drugs Litigation - Jenny Jones Show - October 16, 1997

Fen-Phen
Jenny Jones
October 16, 1997

Whole Show: 05:00 - 1:04:37 Excerpt with Ken: 1:01:32 - 1:04:20

Jenny Jones: We'll come back and talk to the attorney who filed a nationwide class action Lawsuit against the makers of Fen-phen.

This is attorney Kenneth Moll, he's been with us before to discuss breast implant litigation. He's currently handling over 500 Fen-phen lawsuits. That many?

Kenneth B. Moll: That's correct.

J. Jones: From everywhere?

K. Moll: It's actually a lot more, there was a figure thrown out before that there are 24 million Fen-phen users, it's a lot less then that. There were 18 million prescriptions

J. Jones: Prescriptions.

K. Moll: Last year alone.

JJ: Prescriptions, right.

K. Moll: So there's more like 68 million so the class action encompasses every Fen-phen user. You brought up a couple of statistics earlier before that were very important. There were mentioned that there were only 4 deaths, the number is alarmingly higher. This is an epidemic. The 30% figure you brought out, there's many studies indicate that 30% of Fen-phen users, after properly tested will show heart damage. These are people that show no outward symptoms at all. So the people with symptoms, it's much higher.

J. Jones: So you could have heart damage and not have a clue that you have it.

K. Moll: That's correct, and one of the purposes of the class action lawsuit is to set up a fund so every Fen-phen user can at least be properly tested to see if you have heart damage.

J. Jones:Amy it's you again.

Amy P.: It's disgusting, I'm so glad that you're on this panel cause you make me sick. My God, if I was stricken right now, Jenny, if I was stricken with PPH and they told me 'you're going to die because of Fen-Phen' I would not sue them because I was properly warned before I took it.

J. Jones: But the doctors didn't even know this when they started prescribing. Isn't that right?

K. Moll: That's correct, the doctors don't know it. What this women brought out before is what the manufacturers want you to think, that 18 out of a million, is the warning label that you sign, will have minor symptoms. What the studies that are coming out with are alarmingly higher. You may not know that you have a heart problem right now or heart disease or pulmonary problems because you haven't been properly tested. It's an echo cardiogram and that's the only way you're going to know it. This happened in Europe before, there was an epidemic between 1967 and 72, they banned it from European countries. Within 10 years after the epidemic 50% of the people had died. These are facts these are studies

J. Jones: But you're not blaming the doctors, you're not blaming the doctors . . Amy one sec. The doctors didn't know this.

K. Moll: Absolutely not.

J. Jones: Just like the breast implants, they didn't know it, it was the company that made them.

K. Moll: Correct, they rely upon what the manufactures are saying.

J. Jones: Right.

K. Moll: The manufacturers are saying 18 out a million will have minor symptoms, it's absolutely incorrect. The reason why the FDA took it off the market is the most recent study by the NIH, which is a reputable research industry, had said that 30%, when tested have problems, this is not a safe drug. This drug is deadly.

J. Jones: Thank you very much. That's a great way to end the show. You know we do live in a society that tells us there's only one way to look and that's thin and that's unfortunate, it doesn't surprise us that people would flock to a drug that can make you skinny, but I do hope if you're watching this show and you are taking the drug Fen-phen you will stop, see a doctor and get a chest x-ray if you can. Thank you very much.