A Texas jury awarded $1 billion to the family of a woman who died from lung disease that the plaintiff’s lawyers said was caused by her use of the diet drug Pondimin, also known as Fen-Phen.

Lawyers for the Pharmaceutical giant Wyeth, which made the diet drug, said they would appeal the verdict, in a prepared statement issued on Tuesday.

It is estimated that more than six million Americans took Fen-Phen during the 1990s. After Fen-Phen was linked to causing heart valve damage and lung damage, Wyeth setup a $4.75 billion trust fund to compensate people who suffered as a result of taking Pondimin.

This is the first verdict against Wyeth involving a case that claimed that Pondimin caused primary pulmonary hypertension, a disease that causes lung damage.

“The huge award in the Texas case can only encourage further filings nationwide,” said Mark Pruner, Editor of the Fen-Phen Settlement Observor.

Bill Sims, an attorney representing Wyeth in the case, said, “The court’s decision to preclude all mention of the risks of other diet drugs in this case will be a significant issue on appeal.”

Mr. Sims also said in the statement that the court inappropriately excluded evidence that Ms. Cappel-Coffey used four other prescription diet drugs after she took Pondimin.

(via PR Newswire)