The potent MS medication Zinbryta has been linked with serious complications, including brain inflammation. If you or someone you love has suffered from MS medication side effects after using Zinbryta, you may be able to file a lawsuit and pursue compensation.

Basics of Zinbryta

Zinbryta (also known by its generic name, daclizumab) is a multiple sclerosis (MS) medication manufactured jointly by Biogen and AbbVie. Zinbryta was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May 2016.

According to WebMD, multiple sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system that can affect the functions of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves, and can become increasingly more disabling over time. Zinbryta works to bind the immune cells that attack and damage the central nervous system in a person with MS.

Even when it was originally approved by the FDA, Zinbryta was never meant to be the first option for MS therapy, and was instead typically reserved for when MS patients found that two or more other MS therapies were inadequate. But after just a few years on the market, Zinbryta was taken out of production following reports that some patients developed inflammatory brain disease.

Side Effects of Zinbryta

Any drug will come with certain side effects, and Zinbryta is no exception. Common MS medication side effects of this drug include a runny or stuffy nose, rash, influenza, bronchitis, depression, acne, fever, and more. Less common complications include diarrhea, laryngitis, pneumonia, and psoriasis, among others. The key with any medication side effects is that they must be included in the drug’s warnings so that patients and the medical community can know and judge the relative risks and benefits of drug exposure.

However, Zinbryta has also been linked with a more serious complication that was not included in the medication’s warnings: brain inflammation.

Zinbryta Brain Inflammation

In March 2018—not even two years after the initial FDA approval of the drug—the European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced an “urgent review” of Zinbryta after a slew of significant brain inflammation cases connected with the MS drug. According to the EMA’s press release, daclizumab had been connected with 7 cases of brain inflammation disorder in Germany, as well as another case in Spain. The inflammatory brain diseases include encephalitis and meningoencephalitis.

Other major side effects linked with Zinbryta use include liver failure, the skin reaction Stevens Johnson Syndrome, and more.

Zinbryta Withdrawal

Later that same March, Biogen and AbbVie pulled daclizumab from the market across the globe because of safety concerns. The FDA announced that it would work with the manufacturers to manage the withdrawal of this drug from the market by April 30, 2018.

Filing a Zinbryta Lawsuit

If you or someone you love has suffered from side effects of Zinbryta exposure, such as brain inflammation, you may be able to file a lawsuit and pursue compensation. While filing a lawsuit cannot undo the pain and suffering caused by Zinbryta side effects, it can at least help to alleviate the financial burden incurred by medical expenses, lost wages, and more.