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Update: Buckfire Law is no longer accepting these cases. We regret we cannot assist you. You may want to contact a law firm in your area to see if they will accept your case.

An Elmiron lawyer can help if you or someone you care about suffered a bad side effect. Lawsuits will demand compensation for patients harmed by the prescription drug.

Multiple studies have suggested that long-term Elmiron use, which is prescribed to treat interstitial cystitis, can cause maculopathy — an eye disorder that can lead to blindness.

Patients who have been prescribed Elmiron are currently suing Janssen Pharmaceuticals for these terrible side effects.

An Elmiron lawsuit demands compensation from the drug manufacturer for failure to warn about the dangerous side effects of taking the drug.

A major side effect is the risk of vision loss. This eye damage worsens with time, often before symptoms begin.

Buckfire Law currently represents individuals who took Elmiron and suffered vision damage.  This includes pigmentary maculopathy, eye disease, and other permanent vision loss.

Our top-rated lawyers provide free confidential case reviews.  We never charge any fees or costs unless you get a settlement check.

There are different deadlines and statutes of limitations that apply to your potential claim.

Let our law firm review your case at no cost to you.

Contact one of our Elmiron lawsuit vision loss lawyers immediately.

What is Elmiron?

Elmiron is the brand name for Pentosan, which is sodium pentosan polysulfate sodium (PPS). It is prescribed to treat a condition known as interstitial cystitis, better known as painful bladder syndrome or bladder pain syndrome. There is no generic on the market for the drug.  It is made by Janssen Pharmaceuticals.

Patients often take Elmiron continuously for years or decades.

Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1995, Elmiron is also prescribed for osteoarthritis in humans as well as elderly dogs and horses. At one time, Elmiron was used as an anticoagulant, similar to warfarin, but with a weaker effect. The popularly prescribed medication has sales of more than $150 million a year.

While it has been on the market since 1995, there is no warning on the label of any visual changes or side effect conditions. However, in 2018, multiple studies were published that document an irreversible visual condition linked to long-term use of the drug.  Elmiron lawsuits against the prescription drug manufacturer demand compensation payouts for your damages.

Vision Loss Statistics in the United States

The Center for Disease Control reports that more than 3.4 million Americans over the age of 40 have vision problems.  This includes people who are legally blind or are visually impaired.

It is expected that the number of Americans with vision loss problems will double over the next 30 years.  Conditions like advanced age-related macular degeneration, pigmentary maculopathy, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and cataracts are the main cause of blindness.  The numbers will increase greatly as the population gets older.

Approximately 19.1 million American adults between the ages of 18 and 64 and 7.8 million American adults 65 years and older report experiencing significant vision loss, according to a report for the 2017 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).

The pie chart below shows the percentage breakdown among American adults between the ages of 18 to 64 and adults 65 years and older who have reported experiencing some or permanent vision loss.

Elmiron lawsuit lawyer discusses vision loss statistics

Does Elmiron Cause Blindness?

Several medical studies have found that long-term Elmiron use has been linked to maculopathy.  This side effect is an eye disorder that can lead to blindness.  Elmiron lawsuits are being filed for people who took Elmiron and suffered visual side effects.

What is Maculopathy?

Maculopathy is a condition that affects the macula, the central part of the retina responsible for delivering highly sensitive, accurate vision.

The retinal condition, maculopathy, is characterized by a progressive loss of central vision, usually bilateral, that greatly impairs vision functions.

The form of macular degeneration attributed to taking Elmiron is called “pigmentary maculopathy of unknown etiology.”

Maculopathy Symptoms

Maculopathy or macular degeneration is painless.  Medication users may not even notice any vision problem, because the healthy eye compensates.

The initial symptoms of pigmentary maculopathy typically include:

  • Image distortion (metamorphopsis), where objects appear deformed and/or smaller.
  • When the affected part is the macula (fovea) central portion, a central spot appears, that patients cannot see.

As a result, these symptoms could lead to:

  • Loss of vision.
  • Difficulty reading.
  • Difficulty adapting to dim lighting.
  • Vision disturbances or distorted vision.
  • Blindness.
  • Trouble seeing things up close.
  • Eye pain.

Does Elmiron Cause Maculopathy?

In 2018, researchers at the Emory Eye Center at the Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta alerted the public that taking Elmiron is linked to the retinal condition, maculopathy.  Pentosan polysulfate sodium can cause severe vision problems and side effects, including interstitial cystitis, and even blindness.

Nieraj Jain, M.D., of Emory Eye Center in Atlanta, Ga., reported that six Elmiron patients who had been taking Elmiron for about 15 years had developed unusual changes in their macula.

Because nothing in the patients’ medical history or diagnostic tests explained the subtle, but the striking pattern of abnormalities, Dr. Jain and his colleagues raised a warning flag that long-term use of Elmiron may damage the retina.

The retina is a thin layer of tissue that lines the back of the eye on the inside. It is located near the optic nerve. The retina receives light that the lens has focused and converts the light into neural signals. It then sends these signals on to the brain for visual recognition

All patients in the study reportedly showed signs of retinal disease and the youngest patient in the study was diagnosed with interstitial cystitis at 23 years of age. That patient began taking the medication daily and began showing visual symptoms by the age of 30.

In addition, three ophthalmologists conducted a review of patients at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California and found that approximately one-quarter of patients with significant exposure to Elmiron showed definite signs of eye damage.  It also found the t the medication could potentially be linked to retinal conditions, such as age-related macular degeneration or pattern dystrophy.

Patients who have used or are using the pentosan polysulfate sodium drug Elmiron are advised to be screened by ophthalmologists if they are experiencing any unusual eye symptoms.  They are also advised to cease pentosan therapy if eye disease is present.

Can I Sue the Drug Manufacturer of Elmiron?

If you were a long-term user of Elmiron,  pentosan polysulfate sodium, and developed maculopathy, you may be able to sue the drug maker Janssen Pharmaceuticals.  Researchers at Emory University investigated the early clinical trials of the prescription back in the 1990s.  They found that almost 2,500 patients who took the drug for up to four years had serious side effects vision problems.

Despite this information, the pharmaceutical company did not place any warnings on the label.  Nor did it provide this information to physicians.

Based upon these factors, many people are suing the Elmiron drug company for damage to their eyes and vision.  You may be able to file an Elmiron lawsuit as well.

What is the Criteria for Filing an Elmiron Lawsuit?

The current criteria for filing an Elmiron lawsuit requires:

  1. Elmiron patients need to have used the prescription medication for at least two years.
  2. Vision changes and side effects need to begin while on Elmiron needs to take place within one year of stopping.

The criteria is based upon the medical studies linking the drug to eye disease, including interstitial cystitis and maculopathy.  However, there may be exceptions to this criteria for filing Elmiron lawsuits.  There may be other eye damage claims available for you to pursue.

How Do I File an Elmiron Lawsuit?

If you have suffered maculopathy caused by Elmiron, you are eligible to file an Elmrion lawsuit or join a class action lawsuit.  To file a lawsuit, you need to contact an Elmiron lawyer to start your case against Janssen Pharmaceuticals.

When you hire our firm, we will get all of your medical records, including your primary care doctor and eye specialists.  We will also get your pharmacy records to prove that you took the prescription drug Elmiron.  This will also establish how long you have been taking the medication to prove it caused your vision damage.

How much are Elmiron Settlements?

The litigation against the pharmaceutical company is new so there are no settlements yet.  For most drug manufacturer lawsuits, the cases can take several years before there are any compensation payout amount determinations.

When it gets to that stage of the litigation process, there is a specific claim submission process.  Every Elmiron lawsuit claimant will submit a claim detailing their injuries and side effects and they are supported by the medical records.  The claimants with more serious injuries will receive higher settlements.

The loss of vision or decrease in vision is life-altering for the patient and family.  We expect these eye damage lawsuits to result in substantial settlement payouts.

Contact an Elmiron Lawsuit Lawyer

If you or a loved one has used Elmiron and have experienced side effects, like macula-related and vision loss symptoms, contact Buckfire Law Firm today.

There are time limits to file prescribed medication lawsuits, so it’s best to act as quickly as possible to file your Elmiron lawsuit.

Our top-rated dangerous drug lawyers are actively seeking vision loss settlements and filing maculopathy lawsuits against Janssen Pharmaceuticals, the drug maker, on behalf of patients injured by Elmiron.

Call our law firm today for a free case review. There are no fees unless you win a settlement.

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