01777nas a2200277   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002000055653002900075653002100104653001100125653002600136653001100162653002500173653003300198653001800231653002500249653001500274653001600289653002200305245006500327300001000392490000600402520107700408022001401485       1998                            d  c1998 Oct10aBehcet Syndrome10aClinical Trials as Topic10aErythema Nodosum10aFrance10aGraft vs Host Disease10aHumans10aLeprosy, lepromatous10aLupus Erythematosus, Discoid10aSkin Diseases10aStomatitis, Aphthous10aTeratogens10aThalidomide10aTreatment Outcome00aThalidomide: new preparation.  For well-defined indications.  a131-40 v73 a<p>(1) Thalidomide is highly teratogenic.  It can also cause irreversible neuropathy. (2) In type II lepra reactions evidence of efficacy at a dose of 400 mg/day is based on a few relatively old comparative trials and above all a review of more than 4,500 cases.  Most patients feel a benefit within 24-48 hours after beginning the treatment, but most also require lengthy treatment at a reduced dose (25-100 mg/day) to avoid relapses. (3) Two placebo-controlled trials involving a total of 130 patients have shown the efficacy of thalidomide in the treatment of severe recurrent aphthous disease. (4) In Jessner-Kanoff disease, a mild condition, the efficacy of thalidomide has been shown in a single placebo-controlled trial. (5) In chronic lupus erythematosus, non comparative trials have shown remission from skin lesions in patients resistant to previous treatments. (6) In the curative treatment of chronic graft-versus-host disease in bone marrow graft recipients, thalidomide has been assessed only in non comparative trials involving a few dozens of patients.</p>  a1167-7422