This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Transplant rejection drug promising for contolling ocular inflammatory disease
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Mycophenolate mofetil, an immunosuppressant used to prevent transplant rejection may also effectively control inflammatory eye disease, according to researchers at the Wilmer Eye Institute.
“The drug seemed to be effective even in patients who had failed treatment from other immunosuppressive drugs,” said first author Jennifer E. Thorne, MD, in a press release from Johns Hopkins.
The drug was given to 84 patients; 61% had uveitis, 17% had scleritis, 11% had mucous membrane pemphigoid and 11% had inflammation behind the eye or in other areas. The patients took two pills in the morning and two in the evening.
Results showed that 97% of the patients had better control of ocular inflammation after 1 month of treatment, and 82% of patients were able to taper their dosage of prednisone to 10 mg or less daily.
According to the press release, seven patients discontinued the drug due to side effects such as upset stomach or diarrhea. Dr. Thorne said that lowering the dosages may relieve side effects, and in some cases dosages c an be increased later without side effects returning.