GUIDELINES - Comment on the use of CellCept for SLE

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Z Rheumatol. 2007 Feb;66(1):78-82.

[Revision of the recommendations of the Commission on Pharmacotherapy

of the German Society for Rheumatology. Comment on the use of

mycophenolic acid for systemic lupus erythematosus][Article in German]

Fischer-Betz R, Hiepe F; Kommission Pharmakotherapie der DGRh.

According to the NIH scheme, the " evidence based medicine " standard in

the treatment of severe proliferative lupus-nephritis is

cyclophosphamide in combination with steroids. Undesired effects,

therapy resistance, and deficient long-term effects underscore the

necessity for the development of alternative therapies for the

treatment of organ involvement. Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) possesses

the potential to decisively improve the therapeutic possibilities for

systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). On the basis of the available

data, MMF represents an alternative to the current standard therapies

for severe lupus-nephritises and shows less toxicity. MMF is also

effective in patients with other manifestations refractory to

conventional therapy. Questions remain unanswered on the optimal

dosage and possible reduction in cases of remission. In addition, the

duration of maintenance therapy is unclear. Therefore, large,

prospective, randomized clinical studies in the treatment of

lupus-nephritis with a sufficiently long follow-up phase are underway.

PMID: 17216418

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17216418

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Not an MD