Withdrawn multiple sclerosis drug not used in Cyprus, ministry says

A drug used to treat multiple sclerosis and which was recalled in Europe amid safety concerns is in any case not available on the Cypriot market, the ministry of health said on Thursday.

The ministry was reacting to local press reports about the drug Zinbryta (daclizumab beta), recalled earlier this month by the European Medicines Agency.

“The medicine in question is not imported and does not circulate in the Cypriot market, and therefore has not been prescribed to patients receiving treatment [for MS] in the areas controlled by the Republic,” the statement read.

In early May, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said it was yanking the drug from markets, citing 12 reports of serious inflammatory brain disorders worldwide, including encephalitis and meningoencephalitis. Three of those cases led to patient deaths, the agency noted.

“Zinbryta may also be linked to severe immune reactions affecting several other organs,” the body warned.

For now, the EMA advised, doctors should contact their Zinbryta patients immediately to stop their treatment and look for an alternative therapy. Once stopping therapy, patients should be followed up with for at least 6 months, it said.

 

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