Scientific Studies Link Using Elmiron With Progressive, Degenerative Eyesight Damage
The restrictions to stop the spread of Covid-19 are being lifted and Elmiron cases are proceeding
Tuesday, June 22, 2021 - Elmiron (pentosan polysulfate sodium or PPS) eyesight damage trials may begin as early as January 2023, about 18 months for now. Judge Brian R. Martinotti presides over the multidistrict litigation (MDL) in New Jersey for around 250 Elmiron patients. During MDL, each case‘s discovery and other pre-trial motions, challenges, and administrative proceedings are consolidated to avoid unnecessary repetition. More importantly, MDL is where scientific expert witnesses from both sides will be formally interviewed and asked to testify whether or not their studies link taking the bladder-pain drug with developing maculopathy or macular degeneration. After reviewing the expert testimony for months, the judge will decide who is the most credible for each side. The witness interviews are conducted without bias so that each jury can make the most balanced, informed decision. According to DrugWatch.com, "In a May 13, 2021 - Case Management Order, Martinotti directed lawyers to continue with general discovery and to present the Court with a plan to select bellwether cases that will undergo additional discovery before trial. The Court contemplates that the first bellwether trial in this MDL will be held in or about January 2023, with subsequent bellwether trials to follow, Martinotti said in the order." Visit Elmiron eye lawsuits to learn more.
Both sides will have the opportunity to settle the case, saving even more court resources. Both federal and state courts are straining to process the 18-month backlog in cases that occurred because of the country-wide lockdown precautions to stop the spread of Covid-19. It would not be surprising if dozens of plaintiffs with nearly identical damages from allegedly using Elmiron were lumped together as mass plaintiffs. In 2018, 22 women with ovarian cancer sued Johnson & Johnson at one time and won a $4 billion jury award. The case survived appeal in Missouri Appeals Court. The defendant‘s petition for appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was also rejected.
Experts for the plaintiffs may cite studies that indicate that using Elmiron causes night vision damage, and the longer one takes Elmiron, the greater the degree of eyesight loss. The New York Legal Examiner point to a study that could be an important part of many of the 250 plus cases against Janssen Pharmaceuticals and their parent company Johnson & Johnson. "A new study published in the scientific journal Retina suggests that long-term exposure to Elmiron (pentosan polysulfate sodium or PPS)- a drug used to treat interstitial cystitis (IC)-could increase the risk for vision problems." According to NYLE, a survey questionnaire was sent out and about 1000, 55-year-old Elmiron users responded saying that they had a greater likelihood to have problems reading small print having had a diagnosis of macular degeneration. "Results showed that those with the highest exposure to PPS were more likely to report difficulty with reading small print and to have a diagnosis of macular degeneration and/or pigmentary maculopathy (a unique condition related to PPS) than those who were not exposed to the drug," according to NYLE.
