Human Genome Sciences Create New Drug to Treat Lupus
New Lupus Drug available
Imagine being in relentless agony due to painful, swollen joints accompanied by extreme muscle pain, not being able to breathe deeply without discomfort, and being constantly fatigued. For one Oklahoma woman, this was what she endured daily since being diagnosed six years ago. She suffered from a chronic autoimmune disease called systemic lupus erythematosus, called lupus for short.
This disease strikes mostly young women, but men, teens and children can also get it. The disease causes the production of antibodies that attack almost every healthy organ and tissue of the body, including the kidneys, brain, heart, lungs, skin, blood, and joints. There are four types of lupus: systemic lupus erythematosus, discoid lupus erythematosus, drug-induced lupus erythematosus, and neonatal lupus. Systemic lupus erythematosus is the most common and serious form of lupus.
Lupus is a chronic disease with no known cure, so the treatment focuses on easing the severity and frequency of symptoms. Doctors have been treating lupus for decades with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antimalarials, immunosuppressants, and steroids. While these medications do ease the symptoms of this disease, the side effects can range from uncomfortable to very toxic. Additionally, many lupus patients suffer from debilitating pain, and must be prescribed painkillers, which can be addictive.
The woman from Oklahoma was one of the first people with lupus to take part in a clinical trial for a new experimental drug for lupus called Benlysta. She says that her symptoms are all but gone in the few months since taking the new drug.
Benlysta is the first new medication developed in 50 years to treat lupus, and is expected to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2010. Benlysta has shown very few side effects, which is consistent with what the Oklahoma woman has experienced. Compared with the medication she was taking before—a steroid called prednisone—she says that the side effects were so minimal it was like she wasn’t on any medication at all.
Although some lupus patients are skeptical, the researchers in the clinical trials note that over 50% of the patients in the study showed marked improvement over the course of a year, compared with 44% of the patients who were taking a placebo. Only 6% of the patients in the study reported any side effects at all.
Many physicians, scientists, and patients in the lupus community are encouraged by the results of the clinical trials and are happy to see the development of the first safe and effective treatment for lupus in 50 years.
As for the Oklahoma woman, she is thrilled to be living virtually symptom-free for the first time in over six years, and is looking forward to enjoying the activities she has missed out on for so long.
