Elmiron®, a popular drug for interstitial cystitis (i.e. painful bladder), is linked to a serious eye disease that damages the retinas and causes vision loss.
Need a Texas Elmiron Lawyer? Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged. If you or a loved one was diagnosed with vision loss or blindness after taking Elmiron, you should contact our lawyers immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a lawsuit.
UPDATE: Instead of Class Action, Elmiron Lawsuits Centralized in MDL
Federal judges have created a Multi-District Litigation (MDL) in New Jersey that will centralize & coordinate more than 100 ELmiron lawsuits nationwide into one court, under U.S. District Judge Brian Martinotti: MDL 2973 – In re Elmiron (Pentosan Polysulfate Sodium) Products Liability Litigation.
What Do Elmiron Lawsuits Claim?
Emiron lawsuits claim that Johnson & Johnson and Janssen Pharmaceuticals did not warn patients about the risk of side effects that could destroy their vision, such as retinal maculopathy, until the label warnings were updated in June 2020. The drug-makers are also accused of failing to recommend routine eye exams to check for vision loss.
Alarming Studies Link Elmiron and Eye Damage
In January 2020, an alarming study found that Elmiron®, a popular bladder pain medication, may cause eye damage or even blindness.
Experts are now warning that Elmiron may be toxic to the retina, which is the light-sensitive layer of tissue in the back of the eye. Elmiron has been specifically associated with retinal maculopathy, which is a painless eye disease that causes debilitating eye damage and vision loss.
Symptoms of Retinal Maculopathy
The most common symptoms of Elmiron eye disease include:
- Trouble reading
- Trouble adapting eyes to dim light
- Blurry vision
- Dark spots in the center of the field of vision
- Distorted images
- Straight lines appear curved
- Colors are less vivid
Doctors May Not Know About Elmiron Eye Damage Risk
Unfortunately, many patients on Elmiron have been misdiagnosed as having age-related macular degeneration, pattern dystrophy, or other common eye diseases. Their doctors do not realize that Elmiron is responsible, so the patient keeps taking it — and their vision worsens.
What is the Risk?
In a study of 140 patients who took an average of 5,000 pills of Elmiron over 15 years, 25% of patients had retinal damage. Patients on higher doses of Elmiron had even higher rates of retinal damage, with clear signs of drug-induced toxicity.
Dr. Robin Vora, the study’s lead author of the study, warned: “It’s unfortunate. [Elmiron] is thought to have few side effects and few risks, and no one thinks about it again. And year after year, the number of pills they’re taking goes up and up.”
This study was published in the journal Ophthalmology in January 2020 — “Prevalence of Maculopathy Associated with Pentosan Polysulfate Therapy in Kaiser Permanente Northern California.”
How Can I Join a Class Action?
The Clark Firm, LLP is nationally recognized as a class action law firm in Texas, but our lawyers are not filing an Elmiron class action lawsuit. Instead, we are filing individual lawsuits for people who developed eye diseases, retinal damage, vision loss, or blindness after using Elmiron.
About Class Actions
Class action lawsuits are designed to provide compensation for a large group of people with the same legal claim. If compensation is awarded, everyone who joins the class action shares the payout.
Why Our Law Firm is Filing Individual Lawsuits as Opposed to a Class Action
Class actions are rarely used for drug injury lawsuits because they are simply not designed to maximize payouts for people with severe injuries. Instead, class actions provide a lot of people with a tiny fraction of the total payout — usually after lawyers take a huge cut.
Instead of a class action, our law firm is filing individual lawsuits for people who were injured by Elmiron. This way, we can focus on helping our clients seek justice and financial compensation for their vision loss, medical bills, decreased quality of life, and more.
Need an Elmiron Lawyer in Texas?
Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged.
Collen’s amazing success in the courtroom and well known dedication to his clients has earned him the recognition of his peers as one of The Top Trial Lawyers in Texas.”
The Clark Firm has assembled a team of trial lawyers with more than 100 years experience, participation in over 600 jury trials and $260 million in verdicts and/or settlements. Please use the form below to contact our law firm for a free case review.