Daclizumab (subcutaneous route)
Available brands
Zinbryta
About this medication
Daclizumab injection is used to treat the relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). This medicine will not cure MS, but it may slow some of the disabling effects and decrease the number of relapses of the disease. It should only be used when other medicines to treat MS did not work well. This medicine was available only under a restricted distribution program called the Zinbryta® REMS (Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy) Program. Daclizumab was voluntarily withdrawn from the worldwide market on March 2, 2018 due to safety concerns.
Before using this medication
In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered: Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully. Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of daclizumab injection in children younger than 17 years of age. Use of daclizumab injection in children is not recommended because of the risk for liver damage and immune system disorders. Safety and efficacy have not been established. Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of daclizumab injection in the elderly. There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding. Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. Tell your healthcare professional if you are taking any other prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine. Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco. The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:
How to use this medication
A nurse or other trained health professional may give you this medicine in a hospital. You may also be taught how to give this medicine at home. It is given as a shot under your skin, usually on the thighs, stomach, or on the back of your upper arms. This medicine comes with a Medication Guide and patient instructions. Read and follow these instructions carefully and make sure you understand: If you use this medicine at home, you will be shown the body areas where this shot can be given. Use a different body area each time you give yourself a shot. Keep track of where you give each shot to make sure you rotate body areas. This will help prevent skin problems. This medicine is available in 2 forms. You may use aprefilled syringeor aprefilled autoinjector. You might not use all of the medicine in eachprefilled syringeorprefilled autoinjector. Use each prefilled syringe or autoinjector only once. Do not save an open syringe or autoinjector. Check the liquid in theprefilled syringeorprefilled autoinjector. It should be clear and colorless or slightly yellow. Do not use this medicine if it is cloudy or if there are particles in it. Do not use the prefilled syringe or autoinjector if it looks damaged or broken. Do not inject into skin areas that are red, bruised, tender, infected, or have scars or tattoos. The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so. The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine. If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses. Skip the missed dose if it is more than 2 weeks after your scheduled dose. Keep out of the reach of children. Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed. Ask your healthcare professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do not use. Store in the refrigerator. Do not freeze. Keep the medicine in the original carton until you are ready to use it. You may also store it at room temperature for up to 30 days. Throw it away after 30 days without refrigeration. Allow the medicine to warm to room temperature for 30 minutes before using it. Do not warm this medicine in any other way. Do not put the injection back in the refrigerator after warming it to room temperature. Do not use this medicine if it has been frozen. Do not reuse syringes and needles. Throw away used syringes and needles in a hard, closed container where the needles cannot poke through. Keep this container away from children and pets.
Disclaimer: August is a health information platform and its responses don't constitute medical advise. Always consult with a licenced medical professional near you before making any changes.