Elmiron is the brand name of the medication pentosan polysulfate sodium. It is manufactured by Janssen Pharmaceuticals which is owned by Johnson & Johnson (yes the same Johnson & Johnson whose baby powder causes ovarian cancer). Elmiron was approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for the consumer market on September 26, 1996 for the treatment of interstitial cystitis (IC) which is a very painful bladder condition. Almost 25 years later in October 2019, the American Academy of Ophthalmology shared results linking maculopathy, an eye condition that can result in vision loss and blindness, to prolonged use of this bladder drug.
Call our vision injury lawyers handling Elmiron lawsuits nationwide. They offer free case reviews and charge nothing if they do not recover benefits and financial compensation for you.
How Is Elmiron Harmful?
Elmiron is not at all a medication for the eyes. It is actually for a very painful bladder condition known as interstitial cystitis, or IC. There is no cure for IC nor is there really any effective treatment. Patients with IC have suffered maculopathy, vision loss, and in some cases total blindness, due to Elmiron. These victims claim that the manufacturer did not properly warn them, and the general public, of the risk of vision loss. In addition, studies in recent years have illustrated that Elmiron, the generic name of which is pentosan polysulfate sodium (PPS), is linked to long term vision loss and ocular toxicity.
Elmiron And Anatomy Of The Human Eye
In the human eye the retina senses light and it in turn sends a signal to the brain resulting in our ability to see. If the retina is damaged in anyway our ability to see is negatively impacted.
On the posterior of the retina lies the macula. If the macula becomes diseased the term for it is maculopathy. Elmiron results in a condition known as pigmentary maculopathy and this vision disorder is only seen in patients who take Elmiron for IC.
Pigmentary maculopathy due to Elmiron can be reversed if caught early on. However since the drug has been sold for almost the last 25 years many patients have already suffered long term, permanent and irreversible vision loss.
Contact Our Eye Injury Lawyers Handling Elmiron Lawsuits
An Elmiron lawsuit is what is known as a mass tort lawsuit. This means that damage, harm and losses impacted a large number of people but each victim files their own individual lawsuit against the at fault party, in this case Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Please reach out to our vision injury lawyers now to discuss filing your Elmiron claim. They charge no fees unless they recover for you.
Regardless of the state you were injured in our Elmiron injury lawyers can help as we serve the entire United States: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Delaware, Maryland, Montana, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands, New York, Florida, Texas, Illinois, Virginia, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Nevada, New Mexico, Washington, New Jersey, Massachusetts, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oregon, Hawaii, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Alaska, Connecticut, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, West Virginia, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Idaho and Vermont.