Scleroderma Research Treatments Trials

Completed: Inconclusive or Difficult to Study

Bovine Collagen for Diffuse Scleroderma

Phase II was completed in April 2005.

A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of oral type I collagen (CI) treatment in patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis: I. oral type I collagen does not improve skin in all patients, but may improve skin in late-phase disease. Although the results from this trial did not meet the primary outcome goals, the findings from exploratory analyses indicated that CI treatment may benefit patients with late-phase dcSSc. This new treatment strategy and preliminary clinical observations in patients with dcSSc need to be corroborated. Postlethwaite AE. Arthritis Rheum. 2008 Jun;58(6):1810-22. (PubMed)

Oral Type 1 Collagen in Scleroderma. This is a 15-month study to find out if taking type I collagen by mouth will improve diffuse systemic sclerosis (scleroderma). We will randomly assign 168 patients to receive type I collagen from cows or a placebo (inactive treatment) for 12 months. Study dates 2000-2005. ClinicalTrials.gov. This was the original study.

DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) and MSM

No Current Studies; No Enrollment.

DMSO is an interesting treatment, which is difficult to study in double-blind trials. Read the latest DMSO Scleroderma studies and decide for yourself.

Scleredema and diabetic sclerodactyly. A 40-year-old man presented with hardening of the skin of his hands and upper back, which had slowly worsened with time. His medical history included insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus since childhood. This patient has improved with aminobenzoate, colchicine, and DMSO gel. Gruson LM. Dermatol Online J. 2005 Dec 30;11(4):3.

Also see: Interstitial Cystitis.

Also See

Sjögren's Treatments & Clinical Trials
Scleroderma Medical News
Scleroderma Symptoms (treatments are listed for each symptom)

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