11:14 AM CST on Tuesday, December 6, 2005

By JANET ST. JAMES / WFAA-TV

Not even regular trips to the doctor could stop Robrette McRay's pain from lupus.

"Extreme fatigue, extreme anemia, general lethargy, I lost 15 pounds in the course of a month, so it was like I wasn't normal and something had to be done," said Lupus patient Robrette McRay.

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in many parts of the body, including joints, kidneys, the heart and lungs, blood vessels and the brain.

About a third of lupus patients have kidney failure.

Current treatments are a lot like chemotherapy and cause toxic side effects that can be worse than the disease itself.

New research published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows the drug CellCept could be far better for patients.

"The drug is easier to take. It's an oral medication. It's also safer for the patient. It has fewer infections, fewer long-term side effects like malignancy, infertility," said Dr Gary Gilkeson.

CellCept restored Robrette McRay's kidney function and her energy for life.

"I'm very active. I work full time. I go to school part time and I'm active in my church choir so I feel very good," she says.

Even the Lupus Foundation of America is excited about this medicine calling it a landmark and the first good news for Lupus patients in 30 years.