Drug approved to treat rare disorder associated with anesthesia
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Ryanodex (dantrolene sodium) from Eagle Pharmaceuticals for injectable suspension indicated for the treatment of malignant hyperthermia (MH), along with the appropriate supportive measures. Ryanodex can be prepared and administered in less than one minute by a single healthcare pra
ctitioner.
gWhen a patient experiences malignant hyperthermia during surgery, it is a life]threatening emergency requiring immediate treatment including the administration of the eantidotef drug dantrolene sodium,h said Henry Rosenberg, MD, CPE, a founder and president of the Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States (MHAUS). gThe ability for healthcare professionals in hospitals and surgery centers to more quickly prepare and administer this new formulation of the antidote dantrolene sodium is expected to bring the crisis under control more rapidly and prevent severe complications from MH.h
Ryanodex is the first significant enhancement to MH treatment options in more than three decades, and it has been reformulated to improve performance in managing MH. The product enables anesthesiologists to deliver a therapeutic dose of the only antidote for MH (dantrolene sodium) in a much more expedient manner than possible with existing formulations of IV dantrolene sodium.
Malignant hyperthermia is an inherited genetic disorder found in an estimated one out of 2,000 people. MH crisis situations are triggered by commonly used general anesthetics and the paralyzing agent succinylcholine and result in a biochemical chain reaction response in the skeletal muscles of susceptible individuals. General signs of MH crisis include increased heart rate, greatly increased body metabolism, muscle rigidity, and/or fever that might exceed 110 degrees Fahrenheit along with muscle breakdown. MH crisis mortality is extremely high without immediate recognition and treatment with the antidote.
MHAUS provides information and resources to medical and lay communities through conferences, educational materials, ID tags, 24-hour MH Hotline (800-644-9737), and the MHAUS website:http://www.mhaus.org.
