The MS drug Zinbryta is associated with a number of side effects that include brain inflammation.

At least 12 patients have suffered from encephalitis believed to be caused by the Zinbryta MS drug. Three of those cases were fatal.

Zinbryta (daclizumab) was voluntarily recalled by manufacturers Biogen and AbbVie on March 2, 2018. The FDA reported it would work with Biogen and AbbVie to manage the withdrawal of the MS drug. Zinbryta was no longer available as of April 30, 2018.

MS drug Zinbryta was FDA-approved in May 2016. At that time, the MS drug was hailed as the first once-a-month treatment that patients could administer to themselves.

From the start, Zinbryta’s label included a boxed warning for the risk of hepatic (liver) injury, including autoimmune hepatitis and other immune-mediated disorders.

MS Drug and Brain Inflammation

Patients with MS have an immune system that mistakenly attacks and damages the protective covering around the nerve cells in both the brain and spinal cord, collectively known as the central nervous system. Zinbryta worked by binding to the immune cells, reducing their ability to attack the central nervous system.

For unknown reasons, Zinbryta was linked with encephalitis, which is inflammation of the brain tissue. Most diagnoses of encephalitis result from bacterial infections or viral infections. An immune system disorder may also spur an attack of encephalitis.

Symptoms of encephalitis caused by the MS drug can mimic flu symptoms. The patient may experience muscle pain or weakness, fatigue, fever, nausea or vomiting. Other symptoms can include coordination problems, disorientation or confusion, hallucinations or irritability.

A patient suffering from encephalitis might also complain of a headache, stiff neck or light sensitivity. In severe cases, the patient might suffer seizures. Over the course of two to three weeks, symptoms should subside, but in some cases, encephalitis continues and become progressively more serious.

Stevens Johnson Syndrome and MS Drug

Zinbryta side effects may also include Stevens Johnson Syndrome, a serious allergic skin reaction that can become life-threatening when it progresses to Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN).

Stevens Johnson Syndrome also can start out with flu-like symptoms. The patient starts with a fever and a rash that can quickly turn into blistering, painful open sores. If the reaction gets out of control, it can prove fatal in up to 15 percent of cases.

If Stevens Johnson Syndrome progresses to TEN, the patient will begin to shed large sheets of skin. Raw sores will develop in the mouth, eyes and other mucus membranes that retain fluid generated by the immune system’s severe allergic reaction to the MS drug.

Patients who have experienced Stevens Johnson Syndrome describe it as a feeling of a chemical burn from the inside to the outside of their bodies. Many times, patients are placed in a drug-induced coma because of the excruciating pain.

In severe cases, patients need a nasogastric tube to allow them to be fed because their mouths and throats are too raw to tolerate food. Large, raw areas of skin are at risk of infection or sepsis, which is a blood infection that can be fatal.

If you have taken MS drug Zinbryta and have developed encephalitis, Stevens Johnson Syndrome, TEN or any other serious reactions, you could be eligible for compensation through legal representation.