Researchers have developed a new method to measure levels of the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in patients with lupus.
A disadvantage of hydroxychloroquine is its side effects which can be avoided, however, if the dosage is adjusted for each patient, said the study researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden.
To achieve the protective effect against flares in SLE while also minimising the risk of side effects, the research team developed a method that can be used in the medical care system to measure hydroxychloroquine levels in the blood of SLE patients.
The method is based on high-resolution mass spectrometry and has been used at Uppsala University Hospital since December 2019.
For the results, first, the researchers went through available data on hydroxychloroquine measurements. They saw that results from measurements on whole blood, plasma and serum were not comparable with each other.
"It was shown that there were major differences between different reports, and there seemed to be very large individual differences," said study researcher Kim Kultima, Associate Professor at Uppsala University.
The study is being published in Arthritis Research and Therapy.
For full research article please click here.
