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--- Thalidomide OK for Severe Childhood Arthritis

Date: Sun, 19 Dec 2004 10:26:08 -1000

From: Georgina <gmckin@...>

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Thalidomide OK for Severe Childhood Arthritis

SOURCE: Journal of Pediatrics, December 2004.

http://story.news./

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Thalidomide, the drug that caused a spate of

birth defects back in the 60s, may redeem itself as a treatment for

children with a severe form of arthritis -- called systemic onset

juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, or SoJRA -- according to a new study.

" Children with SoJRA often have a poor outcome because of chronic

inflammation and corticosteroid side effects, " Dr. J. A. Lehman,

of the Hospital for Special Surgery, in New York, and colleagues write

in the Journal of Pediatrics.

" Thalidomide is a unique anti-inflammatory agent, " they explain, that

suppresses several inflammatory factors.

The team studied 13 children who had not responded to conventional

therapy and were given thalidomide and followed for 6 months. Eleven of

the patients had a sustained response to the drug with adequate disease

control. Improvement was observed within 4 weeks in most patients.

On average, the children were able to reduce their dose of steroids by

about two-thirds over the 6-month period, and six of them were able to

discontinue prednisone.

The team saw a decrease in the average number of affected joints -- from

19 to 6 -- and none of the patients had an increase in their affected

joint count.

Only minor side effects were reported. Numbness and tingling were common

at the start of treatment, but all the participants were able to

continue on treatment at the same or a decreased dosage.

" The risks of the low dosage of thalidomide used in this study are

acceptable " when compared with the permanent physical and psychological

consequences of prolonged high-dose steroid therapy, Lehman's group says.

" Further, " they add, " the possible toxicities of thalidomide are small

when compared with those of autologous stem cell transplantation and

other proposed salvage therapies for severe SoJRA. "