Zinbryta adverse effects are so dangerous the drug’s manufacturers pulled it off the market earlier this year. Encephalitis, liver failure, Stevens Johnson Syndrome and other serious conditions have been reported as a result of taking the multiple sclerosis drug.

Drug manufacturers Biogen and AbbVie voluntarily withdrew Zinbryta (daclizumab) from the world market because of a dozen reports of encephalitis, three of which had proven fatal. The voluntary recall was announced March 2, 2018, and the medication was purportedly completely unavailable as of April 30, 2018.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not force the drug’s recall, but the agency did help coordinate the recall in concert with the drug companies. The FDA is further investigating whether or not the encephalitis cases were one of the Zinbryta adverse effects or another issue.

Treating Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic illness that affects the brain and spinal cord. The patient’s immune system attacks myelin, the protective sheath that covers the nerve cells in the brain and spine. Multiple sclerosis can be a disabling disease.

Zinbryta allegedly fought multiple sclerosis by binding to the immune cells, virtually holding them back from their impending attack on the myelin. However, the drug showed to cause dangerous complications, such as risks of Stevens Johnson Syndrome and encephalitis.

Zinbryta Adverse Effects

Inflammation of the brain is indicative of encephalitis and meningoencephalitis. The latter is inflammation of the brain and the membranes, known as meninges, that surround the brain. Zinbryta has been linked to both of these brain inflammation conditions.

Symptoms of encephalitis vary widely. Some patients have few or no symptoms at all. The most common indications of encephalitis are muscle pain and weakness, headache, fatigue, fever, coordination problems, disorientation and light sensitivity. Encephalitis also may cause vomiting, a stiff neck, hallucinations or seizures.

Zinbryta adverse effects may also include Stevens Johnson Syndrome, a severe allergic reaction to the medication that starts out with flu-like symptoms such as a fever and rash. The rash quickly progresses to become blistering, painful sores that appear all over the skin and mucus membranes. Patients who have endured Stevens Johnson Syndrome liken it to being chemically burned from the inside out.

Progressive Stevens Johnson Syndrome can become Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN), which causes large sheets of skin to slough off the body, leaving raw, exposed flesh. When large areas of raw skin are exposed, the chances of the patient developing infection, sepsis (blood infection) and death increase.

Even while it was available, Zinbryta adverse effects kept it from being a first drug of choice. The FDA said Zinbryta had a “complex safety profile” that led the agency to only recommend Zinbryta to patients who had two or more other multiple sclerosis fail to control their symptoms. The drug had only been available through a restricted distribution program.

Patients allege Biogen and AbbVie inadequately provided warnings of the possibility of devastating Zinbryta adverse effects.

If you or someone you love took Zinbryta and developed brain inflammation conditions or debilitating immune system reactions, you could be eligible for compensation through legal representation.