The makers of bladder medication Elmiron are facing lawsuits from two women who claim that the drug causes vision problems. They accuse Johnson & Johnson, Bayer, and Teva Pharmacueticals USA Inc. of not really understanding how the drug works, yet selling it anyway.

In their lawsuits claiming vision loss from Elmiron, the two women explain that Elmiron is used to treat interstitial cystitis. According to the Mayo Clinic, the condition impedes the pelvic nerves’ ability to communicate to the brain that the bladder is full and that a person needs to urinate. Reportedly, the condition can cause bladder pressure, frequent urination in small amounts, and pelvic pressure. Elmiron is one drug designed to relieve this pain.

However, according to two patients, Clara J. and Shirley L., the drug causes serious vision problems, which they experienced when they took the drug. The drug’s makers maintain that the drug is safe, and stress that Elmiron is the only FDA approved oral treatment for the condition. According to the makers, the drug is an important resource for patients who experience bladder pain.

The patients note that the drug works by coating epithelial cells in the bladder. Medical News Today explains that epithelial cells serve as a barrier between the inside and outside of the body, and line multiple surfaces of the body, including the inside of the bladder. Reportedly, Elmiron is used to reduce pain when it coats these cells.

However, the patients say that only about 6% of the drug affects the bladder, while the rest goes to other parts of the body. While some of the drug is excreted in the urine, much of the rest of gets absorbed into epithelial cells in other parts of the body.

How Does Elmiron Affect the Retina?

According to the patients’ Elmiron lawsuits, therein lies the problem. They say that the drug can get absorbed into epithelial cells in the retina. This can reportedly cause vision loss from Elmiron.

They say that it can cause a range of problems, including pentosan polysulfate sodium maculopathy, also known as pigmentary maculopathy, explains Law360. Allegedly, this condition is one in which the retina is damaged. According to the patients, there is a significant connection between Elmiron use and the development of this condition.

The patients say that they have been taking the drug for years, and argue that when they took the drug, they had no knowledge that it could affect their vision. However, they allege that its makers were aware that the drug could cause eye problems, but hid this reality from patients.

To make matters work, though the makers supposedly knew that the drug could cause vision problems, the vision loss from Elmiron lawsuits assert that the companies did not have sufficient knowledge about how the drug works.

Allegedly, the companies recklessly put patient health at risk in the interest of their own profits. The patients say that it was only recently that their doctors became aware that the drug could cause vision problems, but the companies were aware before that point.

In arguing that the drug makers should have told the public about the risks associated with taking the drug, the patients in the vision loss from Elmiron lawsuits note that other drugs that can possibly damage the eyes reveal this side effects on their label. They also take a shot at the drug companies’ statement that Elmiron is the only FDA approved oral medication for interstitial cystitis, saying that in reality, there are four other drugs that have received FDA approval to treat the condition.

The Elmiron Vision Problems Lawsuits are Case No. 3:20-cv-10341 and Case No. 3:30-cv-10342, both in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.