Mycophenolate mofetil: What is its place in the treatment of autoimmune rheumatic diseases?

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is a new immunosuppressant recently introduced in the treatment of autoimmune conditions. The greatest experience with the use of MMF has been achieved in the treatment of proliferative lupus glomerulonephritis. However, MMF has also been used to control SLE extra-renal manifestations as well as other autoimmune rheumatic diseases such as idiopathic inflammatory arthropathies, inflammatory myopathies, systemic sclerosis, and systemic vasculitis. MMF seems to be well tolerated and effective and could be considered a useful alternative to standard immunosuppressants for the treatment of autoimmune rheumatic disorders. However, further studies are needed in order to determine its real place in the treatment of these conditions. In this paper, the use of MMF in different autoimmune rheumatic diseases is reviewed and discussed.