The primary endpoint is to determine the number of days it takes to achieve a 50% reduction in blister count, and secondary endpoints include a reduction of baseline prednisone dose once the primary endpoint has been achieved. The trial will…

The purpose of this trial is to determine the safety of rituximab for the treatment of bullous pemphigoid.  Secondary clinical endpoints include the number of days to cessation of new blister formation, the ability to reduce prednisone to 25% of…

To see if topical (applied to the skin) corticosteroid strengthens the skin of patients with Pemphigus vulgaris, thereby preventing blisters from forming.  The topical corticosteroid to be used in this study is called Clobetasol.  Clobetasol has been approved by the…

The purpose of this trial is to determine the safety of infliximab for the treatment of patients with pemphigus vulgaris.  Secondary clinical endpoints include the number of days to cessation of new blister formation, the ability to reduce prednisone to…

The Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation is conducting a clinical trial on stem cell therapy for autoimmune diseases (Autoimmune Bullous Skin Disorders such as pemphigus and pemphigoid are included). The Division of Immunotherapy is laboratory and clinic based, utilizing methods that…

While current therapies for some autoimmune diseases may be adequate to keep your disease in balance, advances in biotechnology research may revolutionize the future treatment of these potentially debilitating conditions by more specifically attacking the cause of the autoimmunity. Drug…

Following is a summary of the clinical trial process which we hope you find useful in your journey towards understanding if clinical trial participation is right for you and/or someone you care about. It is our hope that by providing…

Clinical trials are studies using the drug in humans, designed to identify new and better treatments for diseases. Clinical trials determine if a drug is safe and effective, at what doses it works best and what the side effects are.…

Clinical trials may be sponsored by pharmaceutical and/or biotechnology companies, but are administered at hospital and/or research institutions by physician experts in the disease field. Each site (hospital and/or research institution) is required to receive approval by an IRB (institutional…

As a volunteer in a clinical trial, you are participating in the development of new medical therapies – therapies that may offer better treatments and even cures for life-threatening and chronic diseases. The hope of personally benefiting from a new…