Prosorba column treatments

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone! I would like to know if anyone in this group is taking

the new Prosorba column treatment? I have just joined the group, in

an effort to find more info about Prosorba and to get some support;

I am in the midst of a terrible flare up. My dr wants me to do the

Prosorba and I am really nervous about it!! However I have tried

everything else (steroids, Humira, Enbrel, Remicade, NSAIDS, etc)and

am out of options. Any information anyone can give me would be

appreciated! Thanks! Donna

[Guest guest]

What is Prosorba?

Becky

[ ] Prosorba column treatments

Hi everyone! I would like to know if anyone in this group is taking

the new Prosorba column treatment? I have just joined the group, in

an effort to find more info about Prosorba and to get some support;

I am in the midst of a terrible flare up. My dr wants me to do the

Prosorba and I am really nervous about it!! However I have tried

everything else (steroids, Humira, Enbrel, Remicade, NSAIDS, etc)and

am out of options. Any information anyone can give me would be

appreciated! Thanks! Donna

[Guest guest]

Welcome to the group, Donna!

I'm so sorry that you are having such a difficult time treating your RA.

Boo is the only person I know of in our group who has tried the Prosorba

column (staphylococcal protein A immunoadsorption).

For the right patient and under the right circumstances, I do think the

Prosorba column treatment sounds very promising and relatively safe, and

I have read several positive reports about the therapy in the

literature. It's not widely used here in the US, but I like the theory.

I'm assuming that you have RA and that you are RF-positive, right? Also,

great caution must be used if you are currently on an ACE inhibitor (see

the last reference below).

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Information on the Prosorba column from the manufacturer:

http://www.freseniushc.com/rheumatoid/index.html

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" Rheumatoid arthritis is associated in 75% of the patients with

anti-idiotypic IgG or IgM (rheumatoid factors). Circulating immune

complexes, antinuclear antibodies and cryoglobulines were also detected

in the patients' sera. Nine out of 11 patients with rheumatoid arthritis

undergoing immunoadsorption onto protein A silica showed improvement of

their symptoms without change of their anti-inflammatory medication

[31]. A subsequent sham apheresis controlled, double-blinded, clinical

trail enrolling 99 patients showed a significant benefit for the

apheresis group treated with Prosorba. Although only one treatment

session per week for 12 weeks was performed, the overall response in the

Prosorba group was 29% versus 11% in the sham apheresis group [32]. In

analysing only those patients who completed the course of 12 treatments,

41.7% of patients treated with the Prosorba column responded as compared

to 15.6% in the sham apheresis group. Thus, immunoadsorption onto

protein A should be considered in either severe or treatment-resistant

rheumatoid arthritis. "

http://www.uninet.edu/cin2000/conferences/braun/braun.htm

***************************************

Here's a very interesting slide show on protein A immunoadsorption in

therapy refractory rheumatic diseases from a group in Germany:

http://www.dialysis-north.de/presents/akzoshow.htm

***************************************

Here's something from Rheuma21st.com from February 2002:

" IMMUNOADSORPTION THERAPIES IN AUTOIMMUNITY

In his opening lecture " The Rationale for Immunoadsorption - from Stone

Age to Platin Age, " U. Nydegger (Switzerland) presented the development

from unselective extracorporeal removal of plasma compounds by

therapeutic plasma-exchange (TPE) toward highly specific extracorporeal

immunoadsorption (EIA) with synthetic mimicking peptides used as

ligands. The advantages of these specific adsorber systems, e.g.

improved efficacy, will allow better therapeutic strategies for patients

with autoimmune diseases in the future. Nydegger also pointed out that

clear evidence on the benefits of this treatment has been established.

P. Kern summarised data of EIA in rheumatic diseases, e.g. SLE and RA.

The clinical efficacy of Protein-A Immunoadsorption (PA-IA) (Prosorba)

in patients with refractory RA was shown in a sham-controlled pivotal

study and is comparable with newer results from TNF-alpha inhibitors. A

clear rationale for successful PA-IA treatment (Immunosorba) of diseases

caused by defined and specific pathogenic antibodies was demonstrated by

D. Zillikens (Würzburg, Germany) for pemphigus foliaceus and pemphigus

vulgaris and by B.M. Taleghani (Bern, Switzerland) for the treatment of

non-haemophilic patients with factor VIII inhibitors. EIA systems with

amino acid (Phe or Trp) linked to polyvinyl alcohol-gel (Immusorba) were

successfully used in the treatment of SLE and Wegener`s granulomatosis

as data presented by A. Armuss (München, Germany) showed. "

http://www.rheuma21st.com/archives/report_shoenfeld_3int_cong_autoinmun.html

********************************************

Aetna Insurance has a nice summary about protein A immunoadsorption

(also referred to more generally as extracorporeal immunoadsorption):

http://www.aetna.com/cpb/data/CPBA0355.html

********************************************

" ACE Inhibitors + Extracorporeal Therapies = Anaphylaxis ?? " :

http://www.pheresis.org/aceinhibitors.html

********************************************

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

[ ] Prosorba column treatments

> Hi everyone! I would like to know if anyone in this group is taking

> the new Prosorba column treatment? I have just joined the group, in

> an effort to find more info about Prosorba and to get some support;

> I am in the midst of a terrible flare up. My dr wants me to do the

> Prosorba and I am really nervous about it!! However I have tried

> everything else (steroids, Humira, Enbrel, Remicade, NSAIDS, etc)and

> am out of options. Any information anyone can give me would be

> appreciated! Thanks! Donna