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Mycophenolate Mofetil as Effective as Cyclophosphamide for Lupus Nephritis WASHINGTON, DC -- April 15, 2009 -- Mycophenolate mofetil may be an attractive alternative for some patients with lupus nephritis, according to a study published early online and appearing in the May issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Neil Solomons, MD, Aspreva Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Vancouver, British Columbia, and colleagues conducted a large, mutlicentre, racially diverse study to determine if oral mycophenolate mofetil may offer advantages over intravenous cyclophosphamide. The study included 370 with lupus nephritis from 88 centres in 20 countries. Patients were randomised to receive either cyclophosphamide (n = 185) or mycophenolate mofetil (n = 185) for 24 weeks. By the end of the treatment schedule, the investigators did not detect a significantly different response rate between the 2 groups. Of the 185 patients receiving mycophenolate mofetil, 104 (56.2%) responded to the treatment compared with 98 of 185 (53.0%) patients who responded to cyclophosphamide. There were 9 deaths in the mycophenolate mofetil group and 5 in the cyclophosphamide group, but there was no significant difference between the groups with respect to the rates of adverse events. Both treatments are likely to improve lupus nephritis patients' health and one therapy cannot be deemed superior to the other. However, researchers noted important differences across racial and ethnic groups, with more high-risk, non-Caucasian, non-Asian patients responding better to mycophenolate mofetil than to cyclophosphamide. Also, some lupus nephritis patients may prefer mycophenolate mofetil therapy since it does not affect fertility. The study's data "will allow clinicians to gain a unique insight into the efficacy and safety of these commonly used therapies in the treatment of renal and non-renal lupus in a racially diverse population," said principal US investigator Ellen Ginzler, MD, SUNY-Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York. SOURCE: American Society of Nephrology E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version