Although not as common as other eye diseases, scleritis, an inflammatory condition, is very serious. In fact, it can cause blindness. Until recently, there were few remedies for this serious disease, but scientists have just discovered that a drug normally used in organ transplant patients may help out scleritis patients as well.
The drug, known as “CellCept” (mycophenolate mofetil), helps to suppress the immune system so the body does not reject transplanted organs. However, it also seems to suppress the inflammation caused by scleritis as well. In this disease, the whites of the eyes become inflamed. This causes an intense ‘digging’ pain in the eye, severe redness, watering, and light sensitivity. Impaired vision or even blindness can also occur.
Luckily, trials are showing great promise for CellCept in the treatment of this disease. Up until this discovery, doctors had to rely primarily on a cortisone drug called prednisone. Prednisone carries a number of side effects, including increased appetite, moodiness, and insomnia. If used for the long term, it also raises the risk of more serious problems such as heart disease, diabetes, and even other forms of eye disease.
CellCept seems to have fewer long-term health effects than prednisone. Although it can cause a higher risk of infection from everyday bacteria and viruses, and could cause gastrointestinal upset and even sepsis (a toxic infection caused by the spread of bacteria), it still seems to carry fewer risks than prednisone.
It also seems very effective and one study showed that this drug could significantly decrease the doses of prednisone that patients needed. In the trial, half the patients were able to discontinue prednisone entirely, while many others decreased the amount they had to take. After just one month of CellCept use, 96% of patients reported that they hadn’t experienced any inflammation in their eyes.
This drug is already in use for organ transplant patients, but until it is approved for use in eye diseases, doctors must prescribe it “off-label.” This is a legal practice, but many doctors don’t opt to do it, as it raises their personal responsibility in the patient’s treatment. The hope is that the FDA will soon recognize CellCept for the treatment of scleritis.
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Tags: health breakthroughs, heart disease, Maintain Healthy Vision
