The Lupus Foundation of America today praised the results of a new long-term study for the treatment of lupus nephritis (lupus-related kidney disease) which demonstrated superiority of CellCept® (mycophenolate mofetil or MMF) to azathioprine (standard care) as a long-term treatment for lupus nephritis. The Phase III study results released by Vifor Pharma and Roche convincingly reached the primary endpoint of delaying treatment failure in patients with lupus nephritis who had successfully responded to induction therapy.
Responding to the release of data of the Aspreva Lupus Maintenance Study (ALMS), Sandra C. Raymond, President and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America issued the following statement:
"The LFA commends the Office of Minority Health and Office on Women's Health for the foresight in developing these initiatives," said Sandra C. Raymond, LFA President and CEO. "We also want to thank lupus advocates across the United States for bringing to Congressional attention the urgent need for comprehensive patient, public, and professional education programs on lupus."
"The results of this study provide more good news for the estimated 1.5 million Americans and the more than five million people worldwide who are living with lupus. Previous studies have provided convincing evidence that CellCept® is better tolerated, and, more importantly to patients and their doctors, is associated with few serious or life-threatening infections and hospitalizations. It has been more than 51 years since the last drug was approved for lupus. We are greatly encouraged that people with lupus nephritis and their physicians will have additional options available to treat this potentially life-threatening and disabling complication of lupus."
"The results of the study are significant because as many as forty percent of people with lupus will experience lupus kidney disease. The results of this study offer hope for an improved quality of life for these individuals. We look forward to reviewing data from the study when the company presents more details at the upcoming Ninth International Congress on Lupus, June 24-27 in Vancouver, Canada."