Living with a chronic health condition can be debilitating. Unfortunately for some people in Ohio, the medications prescribed for these conditions end up causing drug injuries far more harmful than the conditions themselves. This is often the result of pharmaceutical companies prioritizing their own profits over patient safety.
Janssen Pharmaceuticals manufactures the drug Elmiron, which has been used to treat a chronic bladder condition called interstitial cystitis since 1996. At the time, clinical trials did not appear to show any relation between Elmiron and negative side effects related to vision. But over recent years, more and more people who have been put on Elmiron have developed serious eye problems while taking the drug, including severe vision loss and even blindness.
Many victims claim that they were never warned that the drug could damage their vision. Some lawsuits even accuse Janssen Pharmaceuticals of purposely withholding information about the initial trials, which would have indicated that eye-related side effects were possible. The company also refused to pull Elmiron from the market as soon as it was obvious that the drug was causing serious damage. Elmiron is still widely prescribed in America without any type of warning about vision damage, although Janssen has since updated the labeling in at least one other country.
Patients in Ohio should be given the opportunity to learn about potential side effects before deciding whether taking a drug is worth it. Unfortunately, many pharmaceutical companies refuse people this opportunity by omitting important information from warning labels. When this type of action causes serious drug injuries, it is often in a victim’s best interests to explore his or her options for seeking necessary compensation.
