The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has started a review of nasal and mouth sprays containing the antibiotic fusafungine, used to treat infections of the upper airways such as sinusitis (sinus infection) and tonsillitis (inflammation of the tonsils caused by an infection).
The review has been requested by the Italian medicines agency (AIFA) following an increase in the rate of reports of serious allergic reactions including anaphylactic reactions with fusafungine. The majority of the serious allergic reactions were so-called bronchospastic reactions (excessive and prolonged contractions of the airways’ muscles leading to difficulty breathing), which occurred in both adults and children soon after the use of the medicine.
In addition to these safety concerns, AIFA had concerns about the benefit of fusafungine as well as its potential role in promoting antibiotic resistance (the ability of bacteria to grow in the presence of an antibiotic that would normally kill them or limit their growth). It therefore requested a re-evaluation of the benefit-risk balance for fusafungine-containing medicines.
The EMA will now review the available data on the benefits and risks of medicines containing fusafungine, and issue an opinion on the marketing authorisations of these medicines across the European Union (EU).
While the review is ongoing and pending further communication, patients should speak to their doctor or pharmacist if they have any questions or concerns.
More information on this is included in the hyperlink below:
Start of review of nasal and mouth sprays containing fusafungine
