Editorial
Meryl Streep and the problems of clinical trials
Author affiliations
Centre for Rheumatology, Division of Medicine, University College London, The Rayne Building, 5 University Street, London WC1E 6JF, UK
Citation and License
Arthritis Research & Therapy 2012, 14:113 doi:10.1186/ar3751
See related research by Ginzler et al., http://arthritis-research.com/content/14/1/R33
Published: 23 March 2012Abstract
A clinical trial of lupus patients with nephritis was established to determine any possible role for Atacicept, a biologic drug that blocks two B-cell-activating factors (BLyS and APRIL). The trial was stopped after just six patients had been enrolled because three patients developed serious infections. Initial concerns that the biologic was the main cause of the increased susceptibility to these infections have had to be revised on close inspection of the data. The evidence clearly points to a previously unrecognised capacity for mycophenolate to cause notable drops in immunoglobulin levels as the prime suspect.
