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Some people die of pemphigus. Others experience long periods of painful, unsightly skin erosions or complications from the long-term use of high-dose systemic corticosteroids. Steroid-sparing agents (e.g., cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, mycophenolate mofetil [MM]) suppress synthesis of the pathogenic antidesmoglein 1 and antidesmoglein 3 antibodies that many believe cause the disease.
Recently, investigators enrolled 96 patients in a prospective, randomized, multicenter, double-blind clinical trial to compare the efficacy of combination MM and prednisone (starting dose, 2 g or 3 g/day MM; 1 mg/kg/day prednisone) and of prednisone alone (starting dose, 1 mg/kg/day). The study was supported by a manufacturer with rights to develop MM for immu…