Gastrointestinal and Health-related Quality of Life Outcomes in Patients With Autoimmune Diseases Treated With Mycophenolate

Measurement and Analysis of Patient Reported Gastrointestinal (GI) and Health-related Quality of Life (HRQL) Outcomes in Patients With Autoimmune Diseases Treated With Mycophenolate (MPA)

Treatment with the immunosuppressive drug mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) may result in gastrointestinal (GI) complications in some patients. This study will 1) determine the proportion of patients with autoimmune diseases who are experiencing any GI complaints under MMF-based immunosuppressive treatment and 2) assess if a switch from MMF to enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium (EC-MPS) results in improved GI and/or health-related quality of life outcomes.

Inclusion criteria:

1. Patients with autoimmune diseases;
2. receiving immunosuppressive therapy that includes MMF at time of study enrollment;
3. receiving immunosuppressive regimen that includes MMF at a stable dose for at least 1 month prior to enrollment. Patients can only be enrolled into the study if it is expected that treatment will continue at the same dose until study end (6-8 weeks after enrollment).

Exclusion criteria:

1. If applicable, GI symptoms assumed or known not to be caused by Mycophenolic acid (MPA) therapy (e.g. oral biphosphonates induced, infectious diarrhea);
2. Women of child-bearing potential who are planning to become pregnant or are pregnant and/or lactating or who are unwilling to use effective means of contraception;
3. Presence of psychiatric illness (i.e., schizophrenia, major depression) that, in the opinion of the site investigator, would interfere with study requirements;
4. Current acute medical intervention or hospitalization;
5. Presence of a medical condition not related to a GI event at time of visit, which requires immediate medical intervention.

Other protocol-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria may apply