Question
We have a rheumatoid patient who has been receiving the Prosorba Column Treatment for several years, and it has greatly relieved her symptons. Manufacture of this column has been discontinued, and the columns will expire in July, this year. This patient has never responded to any of the drugs on the market. We wonder if you know of other patients in this predicament and what alternatives are available. I work in the apheresis unit that administers these treatments and have been unable to find answers for this patient. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.
Answer
We get a lot of referrals to our Arthritis Center who have “failed to respond to all treatments for RA”. Often we find, in taking a careful history, that they just weren’t treated very aggressively. For example, the drugs were used in sub-therapeutic doses, or they were used as monotherapy rather than in combination. A history of her past medications and how they were administered will likely reveal some opportunities to get control of her disease. There are so many good medications available right now, that I have yet to use the Prosorba column !!
