Extavia

Extavia is a medicine used to treat adults who have multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a disease in which inflammation damages the protective insulation around nerves (demyelination) as well as the nerves themselves. Extavia is used in patients: - who have experienced the signs of MS for the first time, and these are severe enough to justify treatment with injected corticosteroids (anti‑inflammatory medicines). It is used when the patient is considered to be at high risk of developing MS. Before using Extavia, doctors need to exclude other causes for the symptoms; - who have MS of the type known as ‘relapsing-remitting’, when the patient has attacks (relapses) between periods with no symptoms (remissions), and with at least two relapses within the last two years; - who have secondary progressive MS (the type of MS that comes after relapsing-remitting MS), when their disease is active. Extavia contains the active substance interferon beta-1b. This medicine is the same as Betaferon, which is already authorised in the EU. The company that makes Betaferon has agreed that its scientific data can be used for Extavia.