AHP Settles Fen-Phen Suit

American Home Products Corp. said it settled a lawsuit over claims that it concealed the health risks of the once wildly popular fen-phen diet-drug combination. The world’s seventh-largest drug maker was accused of causing Mary Perez, 45, to develop an often fatal lung disease. Perez had been taking the appetite-reducing fenfluramine and phentermine for two months in 1997 when she developed the disease. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but people familiar with the case said it was for more than $4.5 million. AHP pulled the drug from the market in 1997.