“One of the country’s leading
personal injury firms”

- The Philadelphia Inquirer

PPA Side Effects Lawsuits

Serving Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, New York & Nationwide

PPA pills 1 (1)

More than six billion - that's billion! - doses of PPA , or phenylpropanolamine, had been taken annually by U.S. consumers in a variety of remedies and diet aids, including in prescription drugs and popular over-the-counter products. But after decades of use, the drug was linked to an increased risk of stroke, particularly in women. In late 2000, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requested that all drug companies discontinue the use of PPA and reformulate their products using safer drugs.

Several years after requesting discontinuance of PPA, the FDA, in late 2005, proposed changing the classification of PPA as a nonmonograph Category II drug -- meaning it would not be recognized as safe and effective -- for use in over-the-counter nasal decongestants and weight control products. (See FDA News.)

More than 400 products were sold containing PPA, including variations of the following:

  • Alka-Seltzer Plus
  • Contac
  • Dimetapp
  • Robitussin-CF
  • Tavist-D
  • Triaminic
  • Dexatrim

PPA was used in various products for more than 50 years to relieve stuffy nose or sinus congestion for cold sufferers and to act as an appetite suppressant in diet aids.

But alarm bells sounded over the medication after a study by the Yale University School of Medicine linked PPA use to hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding in the brain), most notably for women 18 to 49 years old. The study associated strokes with PPA because episodes occurred close in time to use of the medication. But perhaps a more convincing correlation was the fact that many of the PPA users who suffered strokes were otherwise healthy, often younger adults who were not otherwise likely candidates for stroke.

While the risk of stroke due to PPA use appears relatively low, it was estimated that the widely used drug was responsible for 200 to 500 strokes each year in the United States.

Kline & Specter PC, a Philadelphia-based law firm with some 30 attorneys, several of whom are also highly skilled doctors, handled PPA cases and has had success litigating product liability and prescription drug lawsuits in the Pennsylvania-New Jersey region and nationwide.

“The most powerful
plaintiffs firm in the city”

- Philadelphia Business Journal

superlawyers color (1)
innercircle color (1)

We have an unmatched staff of five doctor-lawyers working full-time for our firm. No other law firm in the United States has as many physicians on staff.

We work closely with you to help ensure you receive every bit of legal, medical, insurance and financial assistance to which you are entitled.

We care about making things right. In a lot of cases, that means getting you more than just money. Our cases have resulted in safety improvements in medical care, consumer products, mass transit, motor vehicles, public utilities, police conduct and more.

We provide free case reviews and we work on a contingent fee basis, meaning we don’t get paid unless you win.

"*" indicates required fields

Address
Agreement
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Latest News

Police Pursuits and the Duty of Care

When a police pursuit leads to severe injuries or even a loss of life, victims and their loved ones are often left wondering if the officers crossed a legal line. Understanding ...
Read More

Can a Delayed Diagnosis Be Considered Malpractice?

When you're facing a serious health issue, timely diagnosis can be the difference between effective treatment and irreversible damage. Unfortunately, delayed diagnoses occur more often than many realize, leading to worsened conditions, ...
Read More

Join Our Mailing List

"*" indicates required fields

Your Full Name*
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.