Elmiron Vision Problems Lawsuit

If you were an adult around the mid-90s, you might have heard about Elmiron, the popular prescription drug designed to treat bladder inflammation in people with interstitial cystitis. This drug was well accepted by everyone and was believed to be effective and completely safe.

But in October 2019, it was discovered that the drug causes retinal damages to the eyes. Thus, the question – what is in Elmiron? The research also confirmed that the drug is capable of causing a serious eye defect known as maculopathy. Maculopathy can turn into full-blown blindness in one-fourth of the patients who took this drug.

At this point, I am sure you may be wondering: what is Elmiron drug? What is Elmiron used for? Is Elmiron safe? Does Elmiron cause eye damage? This article delves into all the details.

For those asking what is Elmiron drug, it is a well-known brand of a drug called Pentosan Polysulfate Sodium. It was manufactured in 1996 by Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., a corporate subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.

Although from a family of anticoagulant drugs, which was commonly used as blood thinners, Elmiron functions as a treatment for the medical condition called interstitial cystitis.

Interstitial cystitis, IC for short, is a medical situation that affects the bladder, causing chronic pain and persistent urination. Statistics have shown that over 12 million people in the US currently suffer from this ailment.

To answer the question of what is the drug Elmiron used for, it prevents irritation and swelling of the bladder walls, thus relieving the symptoms of interstitial cystitis. It guards against soreness by forming a synthetic mucus layer around the bladder area. Hence, Elmiron was regarded as the standard treatment for cystitis and other related urinary tract infections.

Elmiron has some adverse reactions. If you are asking what are the side effects of Elmiron, does Elmiron cause eye problems, or what is Elmiron eye damage, they include: skin rashes and/or bruising, hair loss (alopecia), sleeping problems, headaches, weight gain, swelling, dizziness, liver problems, bloody stools, diarrhea, and/or reflux. Some severe side effects such as abdominal pain and dehydration, which would require hospitalization and urgent medical attention, only occur in rare cases.

However, in June 2020, the manufacturers of Elmiron, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, included a warning for a new side effect known as retinal pigmentary maculopathy, which causes vision problems by affecting the macula.

However, macular damage from Elmiron can easily be misdiagnosed as age-related macular degeneration. Maculopathy often causes poor vision or total loss of sight.
The news of this new side effect made many users paranoid, and they kept asking lots of questions: What is in Elmiron? Can Elmiron cause blindness?, What is

Elmiron eye damage? Does Elmiron cause eye problems? Does Elmiron cause eye damage? Is there any possibility for an Elmiron eye damage lawsuit? Is Elmiron safe? These questions and concerns resulted in the myriads of Elmiron lawsuits in 2020.

Another common question is what is the Elmiron lawsuit about? It is a legal claim for compensation by patients diagnosed with pigmentary maculopathy after taking the bladder medication. Often, patients file an Elmiron eye damage lawsuit to claim compensation for their sight issues.

The main claim in the Elmiron medication lawsuits is that the company had withheld the information about the drug’s dangerous side effects from doctors and users. Before June 2020, the package and label of the Elmiron drug did not in any way state that its use could lead to maculopathy. Hence, medical practitioners claimed to be unaware of the life-threatening adverse effect.

Presently, Elmiron represents the sole medication certified by the FDA for treating bladder issues associated with IC. Millions of people take it daily, and its manufacturer still makes a fortune from the sales, thus increasing the number of Elmiron lawsuits. However, the main questions are can Elmiron make IC worse, and when did the manufacturing company become aware of the potential side effects of this medication? Although Janssen may argue that they knew very late (when the complaints became more frequent), that may be unconvincing and unbelievable to the jury and general public. Nevertheless, users approach the courts for an Elmiron eye damage lawsuit to claim compensation.

Besides, after June 2020, the package and label of the Elmiron drug now state:

Pigmentary adjustments in the retina, highlighted in the publication as pigmentary maculopathy, have been linked with prolonged usage of ELMIRON™® (see ADVERSE REACTIONS). Although a majority of these instances became apparent after 3 years of use or longer, cases have been seen with a shorter duration of use.

While the etiology is unclear, cumulative dose appears to be a risk factor.

As a result of this new warning, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends that Elmiron users get eye exams that include auto-fluorescence imaging and optical coherence tomography. Notwithstanding, users continue to file Elmiron lawsuits.

The Elmiron lawsuit lawyers had stated that they would only accept cases from people who took Elmiron for at least two years and suffered vision problems, especially if they were still using Elmiron from 2018 to the present time. Also, to qualify for the Elmiron lawsuit, you should be able to prove that these vision problems started while you were taking the Elmiron drug or at least within a year of quitting the drugs. For instance, if you got diagnosed with an eye defect in 2020 after quitting the Elmiron drug in 2019, you may qualify for a lawsuit.

When you contact a lawyer about your potential Elmiron vision damage case, they may ask you questions about your experience with the drug. If you provide your lawyer with sufficient information, you could claim a substantial Elmiron lawsuit amount.

• Blurred vision
• Degenerative maculopathy
• Halo vision
• Macular retinopathy
• Macular/pattern dystrophy
• Maculopathy
• Metamorphopsia
• Pigmentary maculopathy
• Reduced night vision
• Retinal pigment epithelium atrophy
• Retinopathy
• Scotoma
• Unilateral or bilateral blindness
• Vision impairment
• Vision loss

Currently, there is no agreed amount for the Elmiron lawsuit. However, victims in the Elmiron vision lawsuits will have the same basic injuries: vision impairment or loss of vision. Therefore, Elmiron lawsuit lawyers can look at the value of vision loss or vision impairment injuries in other such cases to get an idea of what the value of those injuries will be in an Elmiron vision lawsuit.

Over the years, several lawsuits bordering on Elmiron eye problems have been filed. A few examples of these cases are:

• Montgomery v. Janssen Pharmaceuticals, et al.: This Elmiron medication lawsuit filed in August 2020 in Florida stated that due to her consistent usage of Elmiron, the complainant suffered from acute maculopathy in both eyes that have caused blurry vision, night blindness, difficulty adjusting to dim lighting, dark/blank spots in her field of vision, straight lines appearing curved or squiggly, difficulty reading, and difficulty seeing colors. Besides, several people are now asking can Elmiron make IC worse?
• Johns v. Janssen Pharmaceuticals, et al.: This lawsuit filed in August 2020 in New Jersey asserted that Janssen was aware of Elmiron vision issues due to prolonged use of the drug, which could cause retinal damage and acute vision impairment. Yet, they failed to communicate these concerns to doctors and patients despite the increasing number of persons asking can Elmiron cause blindness?
• Worden v. Janssen Pharmaceuticals, et al. (New Jersey): The plaintiff was a middle-aged woman with Elmiron eye problems due to taking the drugs for 17 years. In 2020, the defendant got diagnosed with maculopathy and retinal damage that has permanently damaged her vision. The Elmiron lawsuit attorney brought claims for strict liability, breach of warranty, breach of implied warranty, negligence, negligence per se, and negligent misrepresentation. The complaint was filed in May 2020 in the U.S. District Court for New Jersey.
• Allen v. Janssen Pharmaceuticals, et al. (Pennsylvania): This alleged Elmiron lawsuit was filed by a middle-aged woman from Illinois who took Elmiron frequently between 2009 and 2020 to treat her IC condition. The plaintiff here has not been diagnosed with maculopathy or suffered any vision damage or impairment. Rather, she alleged that her use of Elmiron had exposed her (and others with the same issue) to an increased risk of severe visual injuries associated with Elmiron. This complaint seeks to force the defendants to establish a fund to pay for the plaintiff and other Elmiron users to have regular eye exams and diagnostic testing. This is called a medical monitoring lawsuit. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia.

The United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation directed the creation of an Elmiron lawsuit mdl to coordinate all the federal instances. Moreover, it is within the New Jersey District jurisdiction to hear all Elmiron lawsuit mdl cases.

Elmiron, which was launched in 1996, has remained an effective remedy to the chronic pains and irritations associated with interstitial cystitis. However, the numerous lawsuits on Elmiron vision issues are because of the subtle way they kept the information about the drug’s dangerous side effects away from the public. However, to date, no figure has been set as the Elmiron lawsuit amounts. To qualify for the lawsuit, you are required to meet certain conditions regarding the use of the drug.