Lupus Kidney-Disease Drugs Compared

A newer drug is better than an older drug at controlling kidney problems among people with lupus, new research concludes. The study included 227 people with lupus. This is an autoimmune disease. It can cause problems in many organs. All of the people in the study had kidney disease related to lupus. They were randomly divided into 2 groups. One group took an older drug, azathioprine. The other group took a newer drug, mycophenolate mofetil (Cellcept). Both drugs suppress the immune system. In the next 3 years, treatment failure occurred in 32.4% of people taking azathioprine. Failure occurred in 16.4% of those taking mycophenolate. About 23% taking the older drug had kidney flare-ups, compared with 13% of those taking the newer drug. Side effects were common. However, people on the newer drug had fewer serious ones. The New England Journal of Medicine published the study.