Transplant rejection drug may be beneficial against ocular inflammation

Mycophenolate mofetil, commonly used as an immunosuppressive drug in organ transplantation, may also be effective in controlling inflammation in the eye, according to a study.

Jennifer E. Thorne, MD, and colleagues at Wilmer Eye Institute in Baltimore studied 84 patients with varying causes of ocular inflammation who were given the immunosuppressive drug. In this patient group, 61% had uveitis, 17% had scleritis, 11% had mucous membrane pemphigoid and 11% had inflammation behind the eye or in other areas. Patients received 0.5 g of mycophenolate mofetil twice in the morning and twice in the evening, for a total dosage of 2 g daily. Thirty-six of the patients had previously been treated with at least one other immunosuppressive drug.

At the 1-month follow-up point, inflammation was controlled in 81 patients. Seven patients discontinued the drug because of minor side effects; 82% of the patients had controlled inflammation and were able to reduce their dose of prednisone to 10 mg daily or less.

The study is published in the August issue of Ophthalmology.