Help those with Lupus! Half a Century is too Long to wait for new medications!

In 1959 Bonanza became the first television western to be filmed in color, and the Twilight Zone debuted. The Ford Skyliner was made of metal and sold for $2,200.00, the Philco Predicta Princess was the most popular Tube Television Console sold, the minimum wage was $1.00, bread was $.20 a loaf, and gasoline was $.30 a gallon. Alaska and Hawaii became the 49th and 50th states, Ruth Handler`s Barbie doll was first introduced, Hugh Laurie was born and Lupus was being treated with a steroid medication known as Prednisone.

In 2009 TV shows are now filmed digitally in HDTV and shown on flat screen TV`s that can be hung on your wall, cars are made of fiberglass and cost upwards of $25,000 a loaf of bread and a gallon of gasoline are $1.89 and $2.09 respectively, the minimum wage is $6.55 an hour, Ruth Handler`s daughter, the inspiration for the Barbie doll is now 60 years old, and Hugh Laurie as Dr. House spends most of his time on Television treating Lupus with a steroid medication known as Prednisone.

Times change, fads come and go, prices go up, quality gets better, materials change, everything moves on, up and forward, everything that is except medications to treat lupus. Patients today are being given the same medications our grandparents were taking in the 1950`s.

Although Prednisone is effective in helping squelch many of the problems lupus causes, the side effects it can and does cause are almost as bad as those it suppresses. Including, weight gain, unsightly marks on the skin, permanently stunted growth, delayed puberty; thick hair growth on the body, extreme mood swings, brittle bones, an early need for joint replacement, headaches, muscle cramps, sensitivity to light, insomnia and wounds that wont heal.

Some of the other medications used to treat lupus include immunosuppressants that can cause cancer, and infertility including CellCept Imuran and Cytoxan. Others like Plaquenil a drug designed to fight Malaria can cause serious damage to your eyes, including glaucoma.

Lupus affects over 2 Million Americans, more than MS, Cystic Fibrosis and Muscular Dystrophy combined! 90% of those with lupus are women of child bearing age. Children with lupus are more likely to have severe organ involvement including kidney disease and failure. When men are diagnosed with lupus they tend to have more severe cases of lupus. Women of color are disproportionally affected by lupus. Symptoms of lupus range from headaches, muscle aches and pains, fatigue and rashes, to seizures, organ failure, extreme sensitivity to light, ulcers in the mouth and nose, memory loss, cognitive dysfunction, severe hair and weight loss and more.

A Half a Century is too long to wait for progress and too long to wait for a new and safer medication! We need your help to speak for those who suffer in silence with lupus. Please sign this petition urging the government to fund more research into the design of better and safer medications for those that suffer with lupus.

This petition will be up from May 1st-May 31st, 2009.