In the trial, the results of which were published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Roche’s CellCept was shown to be at least as effective as Cytoxan, but was associated with fewer serious side effects.
In the study, 16 of the 71 patients receiving Roche’s drug had complete remission, whereas only four of the 71 patients receiving Cytoxan went into complete remission.
Oral CellCept worked faster in relieving nephritis (inflamed kidneys) in half of the 140 patients enrolled in the trial. At the end of the six months, patients taking it were doing significantly better than the other half, who were getting monthly intravenous doses of the standard medication.
Such results could be an important step forward in protecting patients from the severe side effects of Cytoxan.
“Our results are very promising, but we need to do longer follow-up to see if the new medicine produces long-lasting improvement,” said professor Mary Dooley, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, and an author of the research.