Massachusetts General Hospital

Researchers Identify Possible New Treatment for Severe Vasculitis

14/Jul/2010

Investigators have made a major advance in treating people with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis, a rare but devastating disease of blood vessels. In a six-month study, a new treatment strategy provided the same benefits as the current standard of care used for more than 40 years but required less frequent treatments. Early results also suggest that patients with disease relapses respond better to the new regimen.

The study, which appears online in the New England Journal of Medicine, was led by John Stone, M.D., M.P.H., of Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and Ulrich Specks, M.D., of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.

Link to full National Institutes of Health release.

Media Contacts: Sue McGreevey, 617 724-2764, smcgreevey@partners.org