DENVER (Legal Newsline) - A Colorado woman suffering from a rare disease is suing Janssen Pharmaceuticals after she says her treatment left her with eye damage.
Rebecca Hoffman sued the company June 1 in Colorado federal court, alleging a host of problems the company looked over to bring Elmiron to market. Hoffman suffers from interstitial cystitis, a condition that leaves her with bladder pain and discomfort for which there is no cure.
The process of getting Elmiron approved failed to determine whether it was actually effective or any improvement for users was from a placebo effect, the suit says. The company also knew or should have known of the significant risk of retinal pigmentary maculopathy associated with the drug, it adds.
These risks weren't disclosed on a warning label until June 16, 2020. Hoffman took Elmiron despite safer alternatives being available, she says.
"No ordinary consumer, including Plaintiff, would accept the risks of Elmiron, including but not limited to significant eye damage, in particular for a drug that provides no or minimal measurable benefit," the suit says.
Hoffman is represented by lawyers at Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Hardink in Englewood and Cincinnati.