Patient in Key Eye Study Brings Case Against Drug Manufacturers
Two national law firms filed a product liability lawsuit in New Jersey on behalf of a South Carolina woman who took the prescription drug Elmiron for nearly two decades.
Napoli Shkolnik PLLC and Levy Konigsberg LLP filed the case in Middlesex County Superior Court on June 9, 2020. The complaint names Janssen Pharmaceuticals, several Johnson & Johnson entities, and Teva Pharmaceutical companies as defendants.
The plaintiff, Valerie Hull, was identified as “patient zero” in a 2018 Emory Eye Center study that linked long-term Elmiron use with vision damage. According to the filing, Hull took the drug continuously from about 2001 until 2018.
Elmiron Use
Elmiron is widely prescribed for interstitial cystitis, a chronic bladder condition, and less commonly for osteoarthritis. The lawsuit states that Hull developed serious eye conditions, including pigment changes, maculopathy, and loss of night vision, after prolonged use.
Emory researchers first reported the unique pattern of eye injuries in six patients who had all taken Elmiron. Later studies found similar results, with some estimating up to 24 percent of long-term users experiencing vision complications.
Despite these findings, the drug has continued to be sold without warnings about potential eye risks. The lawsuit, Hull vs. Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., et al., Case No. MIDL003646-20, is one of the earliest filed over alleged Elmiron-related vision injuries.
