FDA approves Avanir To Treat Involuntary Crying and Laughing

When you first think of this you almost have to maybe chuckle a bit but the drug is real and used to treat a disorder to where those with neurological disorders can’t control their facial expressions also known as PBA. Anymore today though many of us may be crying more with current economic conditions.

Zenvia is a combination of quinidine, a generic drug that prevents heart arrhythmia, and dextromethorphan, a cough suppressant. BD

U.S. health regulators Friday approved Avanir Pharmaceuticals Inc's Zenvia, a treatment for a neurological disorder in which patients cannot control outbursts of crying or laughter.

Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman Sandy Walsh said the agency had approved the long-delayed drug.

Zenvia is the first drug approved for the treatment of the little known, but not that rare, condition called pseudobulbar affect (PBA), which is also known as involuntary emotional expression disorder.

Avanir suffered a major blow four years ago, when the FDA rejected Zenvia and asked for new trials due to safety concerns. The FDA was uneasy about the heart rhythm impact of quinidine, a component of the drug used to increase the amount of the active ingredient, dextromethorphan, in the body.

U.S. FDA approves Avanir involuntary emotion drug - Health - msnbc.com