Rheumination

More Stuff That Doesn't Work For Scleroderma

I hate scleroderma.  I think I may have mentioned this before.  It seems that nothing seems to work in this condition, not even for the non-life-threatening but life-sucking symptoms like digital ulcers and calcinosis.  In the fall, the ACR had two presentations on the use of imatinab (Gleevec).  One small study suggested some small but encouraging benefit while the second study was extremely small because the investigators called the whole thing off.  I decided to remain optimistic against all hope, but that all changed when I met one of the investigators from the second group at a recent conference.  She was not at all wishy-washy, telling me that these patients did not tolerate the drug at all, even at sub-targeted doses.  Forget it.  Move along.  

Well I have, and I've even found the next drug that probably won't work for scleroderma.  Perfenidone, a novel, not-sure-how-it-works anti-fibrotic drug has just received a rather non-ringing endorsement from the FDA advisory committee for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.  In Vivo has an article on how one of the FDA referees voted no regarding safety and no regarding effectiveness but then voted yes for approval.  The logic, which sounds familiar to any scleroderma patient or treating physician, was that even if it didn't impress him, there really isn't anything better out there.  So I'm sure there are scleroderma trials underway trying to break the long streak of failures on record.  We can only wish them luck.  Lots of it.

Gold Therapy for Canada

from bodogBEAT
 

Posting has been a little light lately, largely because of the Olympics.  I spend the entire inter-olympic period telling anybody who will listen that it is all a waste of money, that we spend way to much attention to spoiled athletes who are patriotic for exactly two weeks every four years .  Then for exactly two weeks every for years I become extremely patriotic and have to watch every sport with any chance of medalling.  I renew my acquaintance with the nuances of curling, the fine detail of the half-pipe and of course, twizzles and lutzes.  No, I couldn't care less about combined Nordic, whatever that is, because Canada doesn't have a chance.  But hockey, now we're talking.  In fact, all the rest is just filler for the time between hockey games.  And this olympics was just perfect, hockey gold for both the men and women.  Even better, we trounced our old arch enemy, the Russians, and then beat our new, next-generation arch rivals, the USA.  Doesn't get any better.