BALTIMORE, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The immunosuppressive drug mycophenolate mofetil, used to prevent rejection of transplanted organs, may be effective in eye disease, a U.S. study found.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins' Wilmer Eye Institute in Baltimore gave the drug to 84 patients, of whom 61 percent had uveitis, intraocular inflammation. Seventeen percent had scleritis, inflammation of the outer wall of the eye. Eleven percent had mucous membrane pemphigoid -- a condition causing scarring of the eyelids -- and 11 percent had inflammation behind the eye or in other areas.
"The drug seemed to be effective even in patients who had failed treatment from other immunosuppressive drugs," says lead author Dr. Jennifer E. Thorne.
Seven patients discontinued the drug due to side effects such as stomach upset or mild diarrhea, according to Thorne.
The findings are published in the journal Ophthalmology.
