Elmiron MDL To Review Scientific Expert Testimony
Cold, hard science is expected to determine whether some experts may testify and some may not
Thursday, May 20, 2021 - Mass tort lawsuits that involve complicated scientific evidence and personal injuries are usually organized into multidistrict litigation (MDL) saving thousands of hours of repetitive administrative courtroom and discovery procedures. MDL is the preferred setting to conduct "science days" where a federal judge alone interviews expert witnesses from both sides to try to weed out so-called experts whose work lacks credibility. In MDL plaintiffs usually have allegedly had very similar injuries from using the same product or taking the same drug. When the science is established, those whose testimony would enflame a juror‘s emotions rather than present clear scientific facts are excluded from testifying in future cases. Such is the case for experts from both sides were interviewed in the Johnson‘s Baby Powder Asbestos cancer trials coming up this year. Three experts were selected from both sides to determine the best way to test talc for asbestos. After a week of testimony, the judge deliberated for over 6 months to come up with the list of who could or could not testify. The same type of procedure is now in place for women who have lost their eyesight from allegedly taking Elmiron (pentosan polysulfate sodium). Visit Elmiron eye lawsuits to learn more.
Women who have suffered from interstitial cystitis (IC), severe bladder pain after childbirth, and have been prescribed the drug Elmiron (pentosan polysulfate sodium) has filed suit accusing its makers Janssen Pharmaceuticals and their parent company Johnson & Johnson of negligence and fraud for failing to warn them that Elmiron causes vision damage. About 200 lawsuits have been gathered into MDL in the District of New Jersey to be presided over by U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti who has initiated scientific discovery procedures. During the preliminary meeting science day scheduled for September 30, 2021, the judge will hear from researchers, medical experts, and ophthalmologists, and urologists who have prescribed Elmiron. Authors of scientific studies should be ready to show their findings as well. Many have concluded that using Elmiron regularly for many years caused pigmentary maculopathy and macular degeneration sometimes referred to as night blindness. It is feared that thousands of women have been misdiagnosed with age-related macular degeneration when their vision damage allegedly was due to taking Elmiron. People experiencing Elmiron‘s permanent, irreversible night blindness can not drive at night nor can they read in anything less than optimal lighting conditions. Although the Elmiron meeting is set for a single day it will probably be extended for many weeks or months so that all the facts can be gathered.
DrugWatch.com describes, "Pigmentary maculopathy is a unique type of maculopathy linked to the interstitial cystitis drug, Elmiron (pentosan polysulfate sodium). Some people who used the drug long-term for treating IC and bladder pain developed pigmented deposits that resemble little specks in the macula, according to a 2018 study." Researchers have discovered that taking Elmiron (pentosan polysulfate sodium) causes spots on the backside of the eye producing a pattern that is unique to Elmiron users. "Elmiron was FDA approved for use on September 26, 1996, for the treatment of painful bladder syndrome (interstitial cystitis)," according to DrugInjury.com.
