After 40 years waiting, glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel for SLE patients

Imagine your body's immune system turning against you and actually attacking your bodies own healthy cells. Far from this being restricted to the realms of science fiction, this is the incurable reality for sufferers of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and other autoimmune diseases.

While there have been no new treatments approved for SLE in almost 40 years, there are some promising treatments currently in the development pipeline.

However, according to a new report by independent market analyst Datamonitor, ambiguity surrounding the requirements of clinical trials is preventing these drugs from being approved, although that has not prevented physicians shorn of other options from using them off-label.