Primary Arterial Hypertension News - Menu More guilty pleas in Fen-Phen case Official: Charges against La. man, Laurel woman start of second wave of arrests in scam By Jimmie E. Gates
jgates@clarionledger.com May 4, 2005 - A person who recruited Fen-Phen clients on behalf of a Jackson law firm is cooperating with an ongoing federal investigation that has resulted in convictions of a dozen people who falsely said they were harmed by the diet drug. Gregory P. Warren of Lafayette, La., who recruited clients for Schwartz & Associates of Jackson, is charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of tax evasion. The charges against him and Florine Wyatt of Laurel, accused of knowingly filing a false claim, were filed by information instead of indictment. Both are expected to waive indictment and enter guilty pleas at their arraignments Tuesday in Hattiesburg, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Eldridge. "Both are cooperating," Eldridge said. Warren recruited plaintiffs on behalf of the law firm even if the plaintiff had never taken the drug, according to the U.S. attorney's office in Jackson. A spokeswoman said late Tuesday that the firm had no comment at this time since it didn't know of the federal charges. Warren also is accused of failing to report on his tax return nearly $200,000 he was paid by attorneys in 2000 for recruiting Fen-Phen plaintiffs. Warren couldn't be reached for comment. His office answering service said he received the message that The Clarion-Ledger was attempting to reach him. Wyatt is accused of submitting a false claim that one of her family members had used Fen-Phen. The claim led to the family member on April 27, 2001, receiving $18,000 before attorney fees and expenses. The family member netted $10,070, according to the U.S. attorney's office. Warren and Wyatt face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Eldridge said the arrests of Warren and Wyatt signal the second wave of arrests is on the way into false Fen-Phen claims. Last year, 12 Fayette residents were charged in a joint FBI/IRS investigation into false claims to take part in a $400 million settlement for those who suffered injuries from taking the diet drug. Fen-Phen was removed from the market in 1997, according to court records. The defendants, who have all pleaded guilty, each received $250,000 before attorney fees and other expenses.
Fen-Phen Replacement Leads to Weight Loss, Maker Says An experimental drug designed to duplicate the weight-loss effects of the now-banned diet pill fen-phen without its harmful side effects is showing early promise in clinical trials, its maker says. San Diego-based Arena Pharmaceuticals said people who took the highest dose of the new drug, dubbed APD356, lost an average of 2.9 pounds after 28 days, The New York Times reported Wednesday. By contrast, trial participants who took a non-medicinal placebo lost 0.7 pounds over the same span, the newspaper said. Two lower doses of the drug did not produce a significant weight loss. Wyeth's fen-phen (fenfluramine) was withdrawn from the U.S. market in 1997 after it was linked to heart valve damage. Arena says its drug has similar properties but should avoid this side effect, the newspaper reported. Longer trials involving more participants are pending before the company can apply for approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Times said.
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