Azathioprine and pemphigus vulgaris.

To the Editor.— We were pleased that in their article published in theArchives, Drs. Roenigk and Deodhar have confirmed that azathioprine gives good results in the treatment of pemphigus (107:353, 1973). The three patients we reported ( Br Med J 3:84, 1970) as having an excellent response to azathioprine have since remained under good control. One patient remains well, apart from occasional mouth blisters, receiving 150 mg azathioprine daily, and another is well controlled by only 50 mg daily. The third patient, who had been unable to manage with less than 7.5 mg prednisone daily for four years prior to azathioprine, was asymptomatic without prednisone after six months of azathioprine treatment. Since she appeared to be in complete remission, azathioprine was gradually reduced and finally discontinued in April 1970. Since then, there has been no relapse. Since our original report, however, we have treated other patients with pemphigus in whom