Medications for Scleroderma, Arthritis,
Autoimmune and Rheumatic Diseases |
| This page was written by Shelley Ensz, and has not yet been medically edited. See Disclaimer. |
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| Scleroderma Treatments - General |
| Unfortunately, there's no proven treatment and no cure for scleroderma yet. However, there are treatments for many of the symptoms plus experimental Treatments & Clinical Trials, and Research Registries for patients. |
| Low versus High-dose Iloprost Therapy Over 21 Days in Patients with Secondary Raynaud's Phenomenon and Systemic Sclerosis: A Randomized, Open, Single-center Study. Low-dose iloprost was shown to be equally effective as high-dose iloprost in longterm treatment and was very effective in therapy of digital ulcers. A. Kawald. J Rheumatol. July 15 2008. (Also see: Raynaud's, Digital Ulcers, and Skin Fibrosis). |
| An Open-Label Pilot Study Of Infliximab Therapy In Diffuse Cutaneous Systemic Sclerosis (dcSSc). In dcSSc infliximab did not show clear benefit at 26 weeks but was associated with clinical stabilisation and fall in two laboratory markers of collagen synthesis. The frequency of suspected infusion reactions may warrant additional immunosuppression in any future studies in SSc. C. P. Denton. Ann Rheum Dis. 9 September 2008. (Also see: Remicade) |
| New Approaches May Help Tame Scleroderma. Some new therapies are beginning to have an impact on the vasculopathic and fibrotic components of the disease. Better understanding of the key signaling pathways in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), such as the endothelin pathway, has led to the development and approval of agents such as bosentan, sildenafil, and ambrisentan. N.Walsh. Skin & Allergy News. Volume 39, Issue 8, Page 65 (August 2008) (Also see: PAH) |
 A word of caution regarding single-center, retrospective studies. Patients frequently improve on placebo. Patients who are improving usually attribute it to their therapy and thus stay with it. Thus uncontrolled cohorts become enriched for "responders" while failures seek other paths. This dynamic underlies virtually all therapeutic "breakthroughs" which is why large scale double-blinded clinical trials are crucial for determining valid scleroderma treatments. | A retrospective randomly selected cohort study of D-penicillamine treatment in rapidly progressive diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis of recent onset. In a population of patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis, with progressive disease of recent onset, D-penicillamine treatment at a median dose of 750 mg per day caused a statistically significant reduction in skin involvement and improvement of renal, cardiac and pulmonary involvement. (PubMed) Br J Dermatol. 2008 Feb 16. (Also see: Clinical Trials, and Skin Fibrosis) | |
| arGentis files patent application. ARG201 is an immunotherapy designed to induce low-dose oral tolerance, or reduce the body's autoimmune response. The therapy has been granted orphan status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Phase III trials are expected to begin in the first half of 2009. Memphis Business Journal. 07/01/08. |
| arGentis Receives Orphan Drug Designation. The FDA has granted orphan drug designation to arGentis' product ARG201(native type 1bovine collagen) for the treatment of diffuse systemic sclerosis, also known as systemic scleroderma (SSc). SSc is a debilitating and fatal autoimmune disease. BusinessWire. 02/08/08. |
| Scleroderma Clinical Trials and Open Enrollments Includes proven treatments, unproven, open enrollments, pending results, and research registries. ISN. |
| Scleroderma Related Medications MedicineNet |
| Efficacy of UVA1 phototherapy in 230 patients with various skin diseases. Besides topical and systemic therapy, UVA1 radiation is a good option of treatment in various skin diseases. It is one of the first-line treatments for several sclerotic diseases and it often improves pruritus considerably. (PubMed) Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed. 2008 Feb; 24(1):19-23. (Also see: Morphea) |
| Systemic sclerosis and related connective tissue diseases: present and future. Although considerable progress has been made in recent years, we have a long way to go. Early diagnosis and treatment with effective therapies are key to providing patients with the best possible long-term outcomes. Arthritis Research & Therapy 2007, 9(Suppl 2):S1. (Also see: Connective Tissue Disease) |
| Therapeutic targets in systemic sclerosis. Substantial advances have been made in elucidating the pathogenesis of SSc, which has been facilitated in part by the development of more appropriate animal models. Targeting of several putative mediators is now feasible. Arthritis Research & Therapy 2007, 9(Suppl 2):S6. (Also see: Clinical Trials) |
| Scleroderma Treatment Options. Because no two cases of Scleroderma are alike, identifying your disease subtype, stage, and involved organs is very important in determining the best course of action for treatment. Current therapies use medications that focus on the four main features of the disease: inflammation, autoimmunity, vascular disease, and tissue fibrosis. John Hopkins Scleroderma Center. |
| Scleroderma Care and Research Journal (PDF) This inaugural issue for physicians focuses on elevating the standards of care for scleroderma lung involvement. Articles include Interstitial Lung Disease in Systemic Sclerosis: Optimizing Evaluation and Management, as well as Pulmonary Hypertension Related to Systemic Sclerosis: A Primer for the Rheumatologist. Journal of the Scleroderma Clinical Trials Consortium (SCTC) Vol 1, No. 1, Autumn 2003. (Also see: Pulmonary Hypertension) |
| Nifedipine effect on red cell rheological properties in patients with systemic scleroderma. In the present study we were able to demonstrate that erythrocyte deformability and two other related variables such as membrane fluidity and osmotic fragility improve significantly with nifedipine therapy. It is likely that nifedipine inhibiting cytoplasmic calcium accumulation could restore some red blood cell membrane properties. PubMed. Clin Hemorheol Microcirc. 2007;36(2):105-10. |
| Imatinib mesylate reduces production of extracellular matrix and prevents development of experimental dermal fibrosis. Considering its favorable pharmacokinetics and clinical experience with its use in other diseases, imatinib mesylate is a promising candidate for the treatment of fibrotic diseases such as SSc. PubMed. Arthritis Rheum. 2007 Jan;56(1):9-12. (Also see: Skin Fibrosis) |
| Pamidronate infusion in patients with systemic sclerosis results in changes in blood mononuclear cell cytokine profiles. The effects of pamidronate on modulation of cytokine profiles in patients with SSc may merit future study. PubMed. Clin Exp Immunol. 2006 Dec;146(3):371-80. (Also see: Causes of Scleroderma: Cytokines) |
| New Treatment Hope For Systemic Sclerosis (SSc). On experimental fibroblast cultures from SSc patients, imatinib mesylate (a small growth factor inhibiting molecule) strongly reduced the synthesis of EMC proteins, the number of myofibroblasts, and the thickness of skin, almost back to levels observed in the healthy control groups. Science Daily. 12/29/06. (Also see: Causes of Scleroderma: Cytokines, and Causes of Scleroderma: Molecular Defect) |
| Long Term Effects of Treatment of the Cytokine Production in Scleroderma Patients. The long-lasting modulation of the cytokine network observed in the present study could be another potential mechanism responsible for the persistent efficacy of alprostadil despite its administration. SN. G. Yatsyshyn. AT0262 EULAR 2006. (Also see: Causes of Scleroderma: Cytokines and Raynaud's) |
| Twelve Weeks Therapy with Fluvastatin Improves Brachial Arterial Endothelium-Dependent Vasodilation in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis. In our study, flow-mediated dilation change is not accompanied by a significant decrease in cholesterol levels, indicating that the beneficial effect of fluvastatin on endothelial function of SSc patients is indeed pleiotropic. L. Beretta. FRI0324 EULAR 2006. (Also see: Skin Fibrosis) |
| Effectiveness of a Treatment Based on Melatonin in Five Patients with Systemic Sclerosis. All patients had a partial response after 1 month. Continuing with the treatment, none of the 5 patients had disease progression (average follow-up time of 16.6 months; range, 7-44 months). Our experience suggests that the combination of melatonin-ACTH-vitamin E may be safe and effective in patients with SSc. American Journal of Therapeutics. 13(1):84-87, January/February 2006. |
| A Randomized, Blinded, Parallel Group, Placebo Controlled Pilot Study Evaluating the Effect of PVAC Treatment in Patients with Diffuse Systemic Sclerosis. In this pilot study, use of PVAC in patients with SSc appeared safe and was associated with a trend toward improved skin scores in the 15 µg treatment group. Additional evaluation of this therapeutic approach is warranted. J Rheumatol 2005 December;32:2345-50. |
| Scleroderma Symptoms ISN. |
