New
Hope
for
Lupus
Victims
in
Clinical
Trial
Website:
www.ljpc.com
October
2000
--
A
new
drug
candidate
may
offer
hope
to
the
half
million
people
in
the
United
States
and
Europe
suffering
from
lupus
kidney
disease.
They
will
have
the
opportunity
to
participate
in
a
Phase
III
clinical
trial
of
the
drug,
LJP
394,
developed
by
La
Jolla
Pharmaceutical
Company.
LJP
394
is
designed
to
arrest
the
development
of
harmful
antibodies
that
attack
the
kidneys.
Lupus
kidney
disease
is
the
leading
cause
of
sickness
and
death
in
lupus
patients,
accounting
for
many
of
the
100,000
lupus-related
hospital
admissions
each
year
in
the
United
States.
'PEARL'
Researchers
hope
to
enroll
300
patients
in
75
centers
across
North
America
and
Europe.
In
the
trial
named
"PEARL",
or
Program
Enabling
Antibody
Reduction
in
Lupus,
patients
will
receive
weekly
100
mg
doses
of
LJP
394
or
placebo
for
the
duration
of
the
study.
Interested
patients
are
encouraged
to
contact
La
Jolla
Pharmaceutical
by
calling
888/30-LUPUS
for
information
about
the
trial.
Patients
who
have
enrolled
in
previous
clinical
trials
of
LJP
394
will
be
permitted
to
enroll
in
the
Phase
III
trial
if
they
meet
all
of
the
study
criteria.
Lupus
is
a
life-threatening
autoimmune
disorder
in
which
the
body's
immune
system
attacks
its
own
tissues.
The
typical
course
of
the
disorder
includes
successive
periods
of
active
disease
and
remission.
The
disease
strikes
mostly
women
in
their
childbearing
years.
Renal
flares,
periods
of
acute
inflammation
of
the
kidneys,
are
one
of
the
most
serious
complications
of
the
disorder,
often
requiring
repeated
hospitalizations
and
can
lead
to
dialysis.
Treatment
of
lupus
has
changed
little
over
the
past
30
years.
Existing
treatments
include
high
dose
corticosteroids
and
chemotherapy
drugs,
which
are
extremely
toxic
and
suppress
the
entire
immune
system,
rendering
the
body
susceptible
to
other
illnesses.
LJP
394
represents
an
innovation
in
lupus
kidney
disease
treatment.
The
drug
is
designed
to
suppress
only
the
part
of
the
immune
system
responsible
for
lupus
kidney
disease.
Patients
involved
in
previous
trials
of
the
drug
appeared
to
tolerate
LJP
394
well
and
experienced
fewer
renal
flares
than
placebo
treated
patients.
Further
information
about
the
clinical
trial
may
be
found
by
visiting
La
Jolla
Pharmaceutical's
Web
site
at
www.ljpc.com.
|
