Statement from the Lupus Foundation Regarding Landmark Lupus Study

Newswise — "We applaud the results of a research study on the effectiveness of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) as a potential new treatment for lupus nephritis (lupus kidney disease) which are published in the November 24, 2005 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The multi-center clinical study found that MMF, or CellCept®, was more effective than the current standard-of-treatment with intravenous cyclophosphamide, and had a better safety profile.

CellCept holds the promise of a better quality of life for people with lupus who suffer the debilitating effects of severe lupus kidney disease. Current chemotherapy drugs used to treat lupus nephritis have potentially serious and life threatening side effects that can be worse than the primary disease. It has been more than 30 years since the FDA has approved a new therapy for lupus. The results of this study are encouraging and offer hope that doctors soon will have a safer and more effective treatment alternative that has fewer side effects typically associated with currently"available treatments. Doctors and their lupus patients eagerly await approval of CellCept as a new treatment that will bring lupus under control and allow those affected to look forward to a healthier future."