JEDDAH, 5 January — Dr. Khaled Qushmaq, a Saudi rheumatologist at King Faisal Hospital and Research Center in Jeddah, conducted research on the effects of cyclosporine, an immune modulator drug, in the treatment of myositis in collaboration with Dr. John Esduliw, head of rheumatology, and Dr. Andrew Chalmers, senior consultant of rheumatology, at the University of British Colombia, Vancouver in Canada. About 50 percent of the patients who were given the medication showed signs of improvement, according to the study. The work, presented at the annual meeting of the Canadian Rheumatology Association in February last year, received Phil Rosen Award for the best clinical research. The paper was published in the December issue of the Journal of Rheumatology. Picture shows Dr. Qushmaq receiving Phil Rosen Award from Denis Morrice, CEO and president of the Arthritis Society of Canada.