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Mycophenolate mofetil. A useful immunosuppressive in inflammatory eye disease
1Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, England.
Objective:
To assess the usefulness of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) (Cellcept, Roche), a potent selective uncompetitive and reversible inhibitor of ionisine monophosphate dehydrogenase involved in purine synthesis, as an immunosuppressive and steroid-sparing agent in the management of ocular inflammatory disease.
Design:
Open-label, prospective, uncontrolled pilot study.
Participants:
Eleven patients with uncontrolled ocular inflammation.
Intervention:
Mycophenolate mofetil, at a dosage of 1 g twice daily, was given in conjunction with steroids, as a steroid-sparing agent, or as an additional agent with cyclosporine (CsA), or instead of CsA or azathioprine.
Main Outcome Measures:
The inflammatory response, side effects, and toxicity were monitored.
Results:
The addition of MMF to immunosuppressive regimens led to the improvement in symptoms and the ability to reduce the dose of prednisone in most patients. Ten of 11 patients showed a favorable response to MMF, with few side effects noted.
Conclusion:
These findings suggest that MMF is a useful immunosuppressive drug for controlling ocular inflammation with minimal side effects.