fenfluramine

American  

[fen-floor-uh-meen] / fɛnˈflʊər əˌmin /

noun

Pharmacology.

1. a sympathomimetic substance, C 12 H 16 F 3 N, formerly used mainly as an anorectic in the treatment of obesity but withdrawn from the market in 1997 because of its potential to cause valvular heart disease

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Etymology

Origin of fenfluramine

First recorded in 1965–70; by contraction, respelling and rearrangement of (trifluoromethyl)phenethylamine

Example Sentences

In 1997, the weight-loss drug fenfluramine was pulled from the market for causing heart-valve problems.

From Scientific American • Jul. 2, 2012

Similar to fenfluramine, Belviq suppresses food cravings by mimicking the effects of serotonin in the brain, making people eat less and feel full.

From Scientific American • Jul. 2, 2012

She asked me to prescribe fen-phen, a weight-loss pill that combined the drugs fenfluramine and phentermine and was being heavily marketed at the time.

From New York Times • May 10, 2012

In 1997, Wyeth was forced to recall two versions of fenfluramine and eventually paid more than $13 billion to settle tens of thousands of personal injury lawsuits.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 24, 2012

What nobody on either side considered, though, was the possibility that either Redux or its parent compound fenfluramine might damage heart valves.

From Time Magazine Archive