Welcome to ALMStudy.com

Lupus is a complicated illness, which may affect almost every part of the body. Lupus symptoms may include joint pain, swollen joints, a redness of joints, rash, chest pain, cough, sensitivity to the sun, tiredness, mouth ulcers and changes in your nervous system. Lupus may also cause inflammation of the kidney, Lupus Nephritis (LN). Symptoms of LN can include blood in the urine, a foamy appearance to urine, swelling of any area of the body, and raised blood pressure.

The standard treatments for Lupus Nephritis include one or more of the following medicines: steroids and drugs that calm the immune system such as, cyclophosphamide, azathioprine or cyclosporin. Recently an Investigational medication, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) that has already been approved by some National Drug Regulatory Authorities (like the FDA - Food and Drug Agency or the EMEA - European Medicines Evaluation Agency) for other uses, has also been tested in several small studies of patients with LN. Currently MMF has not been approved for the treatment of LN by any national drug regulatory authority.

The information contained on this website is provided as a resource to persons affected by Lupus Nephritis and offers information about a worldwide research study, the Aspreva Lupus Management Study (ALMS).  ALMS sponsored by Aspreva Pharmaceuticals as part of the Roche-Aspreva Collaboration Agreement, will evaluate the effect of MMF in the initial treatment of Lupus Nephritis (induction phase) and will assess how well it maintains this effect over longer periods (maintenance phase), when compared to the current standard treatments. The safety of MMF in the long-term treatment of lupus nephritis will also be assessed.

This study involves research, which means that before starting this study we have obtained approval for the study from the National Drug Regulatory Authorities and also from Ethics Committee(s) as required by national law. It is expected that about 358 people will be enrolled in this study worldwide. Please feel free to browse the website for more information about the study.

Thank you for your interest.