History of Phentermine

Phentermine resin was approved by the FD A as an appetite suppressant back in 1959. In the 1970s, Phentermine hydrochloride was added to the chart. There were no clinical studies undertaken until the mid-1990s when the combination of fenfluramine and phentermine (“fen-phen”) was put to the test.

Fenfluramine was introduced in 1997. When the fen-phen mix hit the market, they instantly became an overnight weight loss sensation. Fenfluramine addressed phentermine’s fatigue side effect. The FDA never approved the use of the two drugs in a mix, so doctors had to prescribe the chemical cocktail “off-label”. Millions of patients wanted fen-phen even without clinical testing and FDA approval and would beg their doctors for prescription.

In the summer of 1997, a report published by the Mayo Clinic described 24 cases of heart valve disease that was believed to be linked to the fen-phen mix. On July 8, 1997, the FDA issues a Public Health Advisory prohibiting the use of fen-phen related to the Mayo Clinic report, stating that a third of users developed either heart valve disease or primary pulmonary hypertension. The following September, the FDA asked pharmacological companies to cease the production of fenfluramine. By April 1998, approximately eighteen million prescriptions for fen-phen were given. The FDA recommended all users of the mix to see their personal doctors even if they didn’t experience any symptoms related to heart valve disease.

Companies have stopped the production of Fenfluramine and have taken it off of the market. Clinical test have shown that Phentermine is safe to use and it is available on the market today as a stand-alone weight-loss product.