Lupus is a rare but serious disease that mainly affects women of child-bearing age and occurs when the body's immune system goes awry, damaging a variety of organs.
When kidneys are targeted, patients develop lupus nephritis, which can result in kidney failure and death. Lupus nephritis is often treated with the cancer drug cyclophosphamide, which suppresses the immune system but also causes hair loss, nausea, vomiting, and infertility.
The immunosuppressant drug mycophenolate mofetil is less commonly used than cyclophosphamide, but may be an attractive alternative for some patients, according to a study appearing in the May 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).
Recent studies have suggested that oral mycophenolate mofetil (commonly used to prevent graft rejection after organ transplants), may offer advantages over intravenous cyclophosphamide. To test this hypothesis, Neil Solomons, MD (Aspreva Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Canada), and other researchers designed one of the largest, most racially diverse trials ever conducted in lupus nephritis patients. The researchers recruited 370 patients from 88 centers in 20 countries; patients received either cyclophosphamide or mycophenolate mofetil for 24 weeks.