New combination of drugs shown favorable in treating lupus

NEW YORK A new study suggests that a combination of two potent drugs may serve as a new treatment for those who don’t respond to conventional Lupus treatments.

In the study, Ronald van Vollenhoven and colleagues at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm tested 16 female patients who did not respond to traditional lupus treatment, and were given, as a result, weekly infusions of rituximab for 4 weeks. The first and last infusions were combined with cyclophosphamide and a steroid, according to published reports.

It was found that after 6 months there was a significant decrease of SLE severity also known as systemic lupus erythematosus, which is an autoimmune disorder that damages the joints, kidneys, heart, lungs and blood.

Researchers noted that the presence of rituximab which targets B cells of the immune system, and cyclophsophamide, a strong immune suppressant drug, showed 50 percent improvement in disease severity, as well as causing the disease to go to remission in nine out of the thirteen patients.