SERC® for Ménière’s disease and vestibular vertigo
Serc® (Betaserc®, Vasomotal®, betahistine dihydrochloride) of Solvay Pharmaceuticals is the world market leader in the treatment of Ménière’s disease and vestibular vertigo.

Serc® was first registered in Europe in 1970 for the treatment of Ménière’s disease. Since then, more than 100 million patients have been treated with Serc®.  Serc® was developed after scientists found out that injected histamine was effective in relieving symptoms of vertigo and Ménière’s disease in some patients. However, histamine caused a number of side effects such as severe headache, facial flushing, blurred vision and vomiting. Betahistine overcame the disadvantages of histamine since it had no serious side effects and could be taken orally. Serc® is non-sedating, so patients can remain alert, maintain their active lifestyles, and do not have to worry about falls and fractures. Serc® results in a steady decrease in the intensity and frequency of vertigo attacks, that often totally incapacitate sufferers. In Ménière’s disease Serc® significantly improves vertigo, tinnitus and deafness. Additionally, Serc® does not interfere with the natural adaptation of the brain to the new situation of vertigo. This process is called ‘vestibular compensation’, and it is the body’s natural response to vertigo. Unlike other, more sedative treatments, Serc® does not interfere with this compensation process.

Serc® is available in more than 80 countries all over the world. Consequently Solvay Pharmaceuticals is a major source of expertise in this field. In addition to continued betahistine research, Solvay makes considerable contributions to fundamental vertigo research. Advanced nystagmus investigations are just one example of this fruitful collaboration with the scientific world.
Nystagmus is characterized by an involuntary movement of the eyes, which may reduce vision or be associated with other, more serious, conditions that limit vision.

Ménière’s Disease
Ménière’s Diseaese is a disease of the inner ear caused by a change in the fluid pressure. This can happen quite suddenly and without warning. The exact cause of the disease is not known. Ménière’s Disease is characterized by fluctuating hearing loss, tinnitus (sound without external cause), a ‘plugged’ or ‘stopped’ ear sensation and rotational vertigo (sense that the world is spinning around you).