Phenylpropanolamine and stroke: the study, the FDA ruling, the implications.

Following a recent case-control study that linked the use of phenylpropanolamine (PPA) in diet aids to the risk of hemorrhagic stroke, the Food and Drug Administration requested that drug companies stop marketing products that contain PPA. Dozens of over-the-counter and prescription diet aids and cough and cold remedies will need to be reformulated or discontinued. This paper reviews the study and its implications for physicians.