Today they announced that for the first time in 56 years there is a new drug that's been FDA-approved for Lupus. Here's an article on it. Here's the detailed info on the study, from a link in that article.
The drug works by killing off B cells, similar to rtx and cellcept. I have NO idea if it would be something considered for Wegs or if it even affects the same subpopulation of B cells that are the problem with Wegs. Dr Seo didn't mention it yesterday so my guess is that it's not a potential drug for us.
(On a sad note: one of the drug's side effects is depression, and two of the study participants committed suicide during the trial. I wonder how that will impact its use in the larger lupus community. I hope they can control that side effect.)
Anyway, I wanted to post it to give us all hope that there is always something new coming down the pike to help. Maybe someday there will be an FDA-approved drug for Wegs, too. That would sure make it easier to get insurance approvals for pricey drugs like rtx and cellcept. Keep your chin(s) up fellow Weggies!
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