A Study of Studies supports the Link Between Elmiron and Macular Degeneration
Men and women injured by taking Elmiron have evidence in the form of scientific studies
Saturday, May 29, 2021 - A condition called interstitial cystitis (IC) is the underlying illness that women seek relief from after childbirth. IC is also referred to as painful bladder syndrome. According to the Mayo Clinic, "Interstitial cystitis (in-tur-STISH-ul sis-TIE-tis) is a chronic condition causing bladder pressure, bladder pain and sometimes pelvic pain. The pain ranges from mild discomfort to severe pain. The condition is a part of a spectrum of diseases known as painful bladder syndrome." Since its approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1996, doctors have and continue to prescribe Elmiron (pentosan polysulfate sodium) to alleviate IC‘s unbearable bladder pain. Elmiron is a type of antiviral drug that must accumulate in the blood cells before it becomes effective. It takes at least three months of taking Elmiron before the pain relief effects become noticeable. Even then, only about one in three women experience any pain relief leading some to call the drug a placebo offering no real benefits. Visit Elmiron eye lawsuits to learn more.
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases estimates that IC affects between 3 and 8 million women and 1 to 4 million men according to Consumer Notice. Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson is the only FDA-approved drug to treat IC affording the company a monopoly over its sales. As such, there has been no pressure to inform the public of the vision-damaging side effects of taking it. There is no generic version of Elmiron on the market, and there has been no FDA recall. The official Elmiron website was updated in June of 2020, more than 20 years after beginning to sell the drug, by its makers, to inform the public of the night-blindness side effects.
Another insidious element of Elmiron‘s severe, irreversible side effects is that a person‘s vision continues to worsen even after the patient stops taking the drug. Elmiron causes pigmentary maculopathy also referred to as macular degeneration. These conditions cause spots to occur on the back of the eye where light is processed and reduces one‘s vision in less than optimal lighting conditions. Elmiron patients complain that they can not read nor drive at night. Elmiron vision damage patients are filing lawsuits against Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Johnson & Johnson alleging that taking the drug caused them to go legally blind. Their claims are back up by the reports from their ophthalmologists that they have suffered severe vision damage that began after they started taking the drug.
Plaintiff‘s allegations are also supported by researchers studying Elmiron‘s vision damage side effects. The most recent study of studies indicates a strong causal relationship between Elmiron and permanent vision damage, according to About Lawsuits.com (AL). "Current literature supports a strong dose-dependent association between PPS exposure and a progressive maculopathy impacting the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and RPE-photoreceptor interface that may worsen even after drug cessation,‘ researchers wrote. Initial symptoms may include prolonged dark adaptation and difficulty reading with relative visual acuity preservation," AL reported to readers. Elmiron vision damage lawyers are interviewing Elmiron patients with vision damage. Lawsuits seek lump sum monetary compensation and punitive damages to punish the manufacturers for their alleged fraud and negligence.
