ArchiveNew drugs trial for serious blister disease
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:43:00 GMT
It’s itchy, very painful and potentially fatal but a new clinical trial by University of Nottingham scientists is hoping to give sufferers of a rare skin condition a safe and effective treatment at last.
Bullous Pemphigoid (BP) is a serious skin disease which leaves elderly people covered in large skin blisters, at risk of infection and, in around 40% of cases, death. Currently treatment is by oral steroids. Although steroids are usually very effective at getting rid of the blisters, their long term use can have serious side effects like high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis and infections.
But now researchers have been awarded nearly £800,000 to fund an international clinical trial of the effectiveness and safety of a simple oral antibiotic and anti-inflammatory drug, doxycycline.
This antibiotic is a member of the tetracycline family, and previous reports have suggested that tetracyclines may work for pemphigoid but with far less risk of serious side effects.
To view the whole story, please visit Nottingham University website by clicking the link below.
Source: www.nottingham.ac.uk
