Hopes raised for new lupus treatment
Friday December 12th, 2008
A promising new drug is being tested as a treatment for systemic lupus erythematosus - a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease.
The disease causes unpredictable bouts of disease flare involving rash, pain, anaemia and a range of other symptoms. It can lead to organ damage and rarely, death. Currently, patients are given nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, or immunosuppressants, depending on the severity of symptoms.
These drugs can have unpleasant or dangerous side-effects, so Dr Sylviane Muller of the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology in Strasbourg, France, investigated a possible alternative.
They are looking at a drug called P140, which they describe as "entirely different from what has previously been used for the treatment of lupus". It comprises a peptide which targets the immune cells involved in lupus.
A recent trial was carried out on 20 patients who received three injections of P140 two weeks apart. Half were given 200 micrograms each time, while the other half received 1,000 micrograms.
Early results suggest that the treatment is safe, well-tolerated and improves the clinical status of patients as measured by a Disease Activity Index. The lower dose was found to be suitably effective.
Findings appear in the December issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism. The authors say these findings confirm the results of an earlier study on healthy volunteers. They conclude: "P140 was found to be safe and well tolerated by subjects. Three sub-cutaneous doses of P140 at 200 micrograms significantly improved the clinical and biologic status of lupus patients."
A further trial is now underway, involving approximately 200 patients. The work is sponsored by the drug's manufacturers, ImmuPharma France, based in Alsace, France.
Muller, S. et al. Spliceosomal peptide P140 for immunotherapy of systemic lupus erythematosus: Results of an early phase II clinical trial. Arthritis & Rheumatism, Vol. 58, December 2008, pp. 3873-83.
Tags: Europe | Orthopaedics
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