Elmiron®
Pentosan Polysulfate Sodium
C₁₂H₁₇O₁₇S₄⁻
Elmiron® (Pentosan Polysulfate Sodium) is India's only oral PPS formulation — a semi-synthetic, heparin-like polysaccharide that acts by replenishing the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) layer of the bladder urothelium. It is among the best FDA-approved oral therapies for Interstitial Cystitis / Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS), a debilitating chronic condition characterised by pelvic pain, urinary urgency, frequency, and nocturia.
IC/BPS affects an estimated 3–8% of women globally and is significantly underdiagnosed in India. The Elmiron® formulation by Polysaccharide Chemistry represents the first and only locally manufactured oral PPS product, removing barriers of cost, availability, and supply chain that had previously made this therapy inaccessible to Indian patients.
Available in two evidence-based formulations — 100mg oral capsules (standard-of-care, first-line PPS therapy) and 50mg/mL intravesical solution (for patients requiring direct bladder installation) — Elmiron® delivers the same active molecule through routes optimised for individual clinical presentations.
Product Specifications
| Active | Pentosan Polysulfate Sodium |
| Classification | Schedule H |
| Oral form | 100mg capsules |
| Intravesical | 50mg/mL solution |
| Indication | IC/BPS |
| Route | Oral / Intravesical |
| Evidence | 7 RCTs (5 positive) |
| Approval | FDA-approved API |
Missed Bladder Disease
Physician Education Hub
The Missed Bladder Disease initiative is a structured physician education programme addressing one of India's most significant diagnostic gaps: the systemic under-recognition of Interstitial Cystitis and Bladder Pain Syndrome in women. Surveys consistently show IC/BPS patients waiting 5–7 years for diagnosis, cycling through multiple misdiagnoses including recurrent UTI, endometriosis, and irritable bowel syndrome.
Led by Dr. Sanjay Pandey and Team BladderHealthWomen, the initiative provides urologists, gynaecologists, and primary care physicians with a structured diagnostic framework — the GIBBS Method — alongside clinical case presentations, pathophysiology education, and treatment pathway guidance.
The platform at missedbladderdisease.com serves as the central resource hub: clinical evidence summaries, diagnostic algorithms, patient profiling tools, and professional education content, updated continuously as the body of evidence evolves.
Initiative Details