Elmiron is a prescription medication used to treat interstitial cystitis, referred to as “painful bladder syndrome.” While many users have experienced an improvement in their health condition, some have suffered severe side effects, including vision loss. Nobody expects a medication to have adverse side effects that lead to permanent disability, but unfortunately, that is sometimes the outcome.
If you have suffered vision problems like partial blindness while taking Elmiron, you may file a legal claim for monetary damages.
It’s best to discuss your options with an experienced attorney, such as the established team at the Dixon Injury Firm. We can review your case as soon as possible to ensure that you get the compensation you deserve.
What the Dixon Injury Firm Can Do for You?
When you choose to work with the Dixon Injury Firm, your attorney will handle each step of the legal process on your behalf. Having someone do this difficult work for you will save you time and help you avoid stress, allowing you to keep your focus on your health and recovery.
All cases are different, but the legal process should look like this:
Determining Your Eligibility to File
Before submitting a claim, your lawyers need to verify that you are eligible to file a lawsuit. At Dixon Injury Firm, we have a case review process to determine whether your case will hold up throughout the legal process. Simply call us or contact us online to review your case. There is no upfront cost for this service because we want you to have the information you need to decide to pursue an Elmiron lawsuit.
Evidence Gathering to Support Your Claim
To prove that Elmiron caused your vision loss, you must have evidence showing that you used Elmiron, and it caused your injuries. Your legal team will help you collect this evidence. The types of evidence we look for include medical records that show the progression of your injuries related to Elmiron. With this evidence on hand, we can build a case proving that your vision problems arose due to the defective drug, Elmiron.
Filing Your Lawsuit in the Proper Court
Once we have all of the evidence gathered, we can begin the legal process of filing a defective drug product liability claim. You must file this claim within a specific timeframe known as the statute of limitations. If you take too long to file, the statute of limitations may expire, leaving you unable to pursue the compensation you deserve. Ensure that this doesn’t happen by contacting an Elmiron attorney today.
Seeking the Total Compensation You Deserve
Many defendants will attempt to avoid paying the maximum damages by offering unreasonably low financial settlements. Don’t fall for the trap. Instead, work with the Dixon Injury Firm to pursue maximum compensation through the courts. It isn’t always necessary to take your case to trial, but our legal experts can advise you on the right course of action when the time comes.
What Is Elmiron?
Elmiron and the generic equivalent, pentosan polysulfate sodium, is the only FDA-approved prescription medication designed to treat a common bladder disorder called interstitial cystitis. This disorder may affect as many as 12 million people in the U.S., and most patients are women. Of the people suffering from this disorder, a percentage received prescriptions to Elmiron to manage the symptoms.
Patients take one 100 mg capsule of Elmiron three times a day. This volume of the drug may be toxic to their retinas. Damage to your eyes is devastating, even if it is minor. Eye damage makes life harder than necessary, no matter your age.
Who Makes Elmiron?
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a division of Johnson & Johnson, makes Elmiron. Baker Norton Pharmaceuticals, Inc. initially developed Elmiron, but the product has switched hands.
Elmiron Lawsuits
Elmiron lawsuits are product liability cases fought by anyone who suffered severe side effects after taking the drug. These lawsuits are viable because studies have recently linked long-term Elmiron use to medication toxicity, which causes a novel type of retina damage. The retina is the light-sensing part of the eye responsible for allowing clear vision and focus.
With damaged retinas, people are less capable of seeing, with some even suffering partial or even complete blindness. This loss of vision reduces the quality of life and causes other issues, such as the inability to work in the same career.
Numerous medical studies have linked Elmiron to these severe eye injuries. Worse yet, the drug manufacturer failed to warn their patients about the risks associated with its use. They also failed to recommend regular eye screening for Elmiron users.
Because Elmiron is so widely prescribed, millions have potentially been negatively affected. The manufacturer, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, can be held liable for related damages. For this reason, people living with Elmiron-related vision loss are due compensation.
Does Elmiron Cause Pigmentary Maculopathy?
There is substantial evidence that Elmiron causes retina damage and severe vision-related disorders, like maculopathy. The study above showed that 25 percent of users developed pigmentary maculopathy after extended use. This injury of the macula (the center of the retina) can cause permanent vision loss and even total blindness. The condition can cause difficulty with vision-focused tasks, like reading, in milder cases.
Some doctors confuse retinal maculopathy for age-related macular degeneration, making it critical that Elmiron users see a doctor who knows the difference. Only then can they claim compensation for their Elmiron-related vision loss.
Pigmentary Maculopathy
Recent medical studies revealed that Elmiron is potentially toxic to the retina. This toxicity causes a condition called pigmentary maculopathy.
Pigmentary maculopathy symptoms include:
- Difficulty reading
- Blurry vision
- Fuzzy vision
- Delayed adjustment to low light
- Dark spots in vision
- Central vision loss and impairment
- Pattern dystrophy
- Dry macular degeneration
- Distorted vision
This list is not an exhaustive catalog of eye issues, so it is vital that you speak to a doctor and then a product liability attorney from Dixon Injury Law about whether or not you have a case.
Other Side Effects
Elmiron may cause other eye damage. Common Elmiron-related diagnoses may include retinopathy, retinal maculopathy, retinal pigment epithelium atrophy, and macular retinopathy
Elmiron Studies
A 2018 study led by Nieraj Jain, M.D, researched six patients treated for interstitial cystitis related to Elmiron between 2015 and 2017. The research team found that participants had developed a novel and avoidable pigmentary maculopathy. As a result, the researchers issued a warning that long-term Elmiron use can lead to permanent retinal damage. A follow-up study of 10 patients also demonstrated similar damage from chronic exposure to Elmiron, strengthening the claim.
Researchers conducted another study in 2019. This study found that long-term Elmiron use caused retinal damage in 25 percent of the studied patients. These patients took about 5,000 pills annually over 15 years, and the Elmiron toxicity mimicked macular degeneration, pattern dystrophy, and other known retinal conditions.
This study showed that the physicians recommended that Elmiron users be screened at least once a year for retina damage. If these patients exhibit retina damage during screening, the researchers urge them to schedule an appointment with their urologist or gynecologist as soon as possible.
Is Elmiron Currently Recalled?
Elmiron is not a recalled drug. The Food and Drug Administration approved the medicine in 1996, so rheumatologists and urologists continue to prescribe it to patients. If you are wondering, there is no over-the-counter version of Elmiron, though a generic version of the drug is available by prescription.
Because there has not been a recall, Elmiron remains available to the general public. As more evidence shows that Elmiron relates to vision loss and severe conditions like maculopathy, our lawyers hope the FDA will withdraw the drug. You can help make this happen by holding the manufacturer responsible through an Elmiron lawsuit.
Has Anyone Won an Elmiron Lawsuit Yet?
Elmiron cases have not settled yet, but many product liability lawyers are working with clients to secure significant financial settlements and verdicts.
Elmiron Lawsuit Values
It is hard to pinpoint the monetary value of a person’s ability to see. Vision issues affect nearly every aspect of the victim’s life, so surely Elmiron-related vision loss warrants immense monetary compensation.
If you or a loved one suffered injuries caused by a defective drug, such as Elmiron, you likely wonder how much is possible to recover financially from a lawsuit. Some people wonder if a lawsuit is worth it, and our legal team can evaluate your situation and advise you on this matter.
We know how to calculate all the damages you can recover, which include economic and non-economic losses.
- Past economic losses have a dollar amount already, and we can present medical bills, pay statements showing lost income, and receipts for out-of-pocket costs, among other financial losses you incurred. We ensure that not one expense goes ignored, so you receive compensation for every dollar relating to your injuries.
- Future economic losses are more difficult to calculate. These are the monetary losses you will likely incur due to your injuries. For example, you might need future medical care for your injuries – possibly for the rest of your life – that results in ongoing medical bills. Your vision loss might prevent you from working in the future, which can result in significant lost earnings throughout the rest of your life.
These damages are difficult to calculate, as they have not happened yet. However, our firm has resources that allow us to accurately estimate your future losses.
Medical experts can testify to the treatment you will need in the future and how much that treatment will likely cost over your lifetime. Economic and occupational experts can determine how much income you will lose based on your prior position and earnings, inflation, and other factors.
Non-economic damages compensate for losses that do not have dollar values automatically assigned.
These losses include:
- Pain and suffering – Losing one of your primary senses – your vision – can cause extreme suffering for the rest of your life. You might have mental anguish from your vision problems and the related changes to your life. Many adults with vision loss suffer from depression and other disorders that impact their lives in many ways.
- Permanent injuries and disabilities – Since pigmentary maculopathy has no cure, its vision issues are often permanent. Having a permanent disability from using what you believed was a safe product is devastating, and you deserve compensation for what you will need to endure for the rest of your life.
- Loss of enjoyment of life – When you lose some or all of your vision, you might need to give up certain activities you once loved. You may have to relearn basic tasks and alter how you live your life considerably. You can recover compensation for the lost enjoyment of life.
Our legal team knows how to calculate the value of your intangible losses to ensure you request enough compensation. We will stand up for the full value of your damages and fight until you receive all that you deserve.
Get Help From an Established Elmiron Attorney
Chris Dixon & Greg Motil, Elmiron Vision Loss Lawsuits
While there have not been any verdicts in Elmiron cases, you can trust that some people will recover compensation for their Elmiron-related injuries. These cases are very complex, so don’t even think about trying to get the job done on your own.
Instead, hire a legal team that knows how to navigate complex product liability cases, especially those involving dangerous drugs.
The Dixon Injury Firm fits this description, so why not call to learn more about our team of established attorneys? You can reach us online or call us at (314) 208-2808 for a case review session with one of our lawyers.
A defective or dangerous drug like Elmiron puts so much at stake. Let our product liability attorneys investigate your injury and build a case for you.
The Dixon Injury Firm
9666 Olive Blvd #202,
St. Louis, MO 63132
Phone: (314) 208-2808
Client Reviews
I highly recommend Chris Dixon to anyone dealing with a personal injury case. He was there every step of the way, he was prompt and easy to get a hold of at any time during this process. He is very educated and highly skilled in his field and helped me receive the best medical attention possible. If you’re looking for the best personal injury in St. Louis, look no further. Chris Dixon, in my eyes, is the best!
– Ryan B.