Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2012:6:133-9.
doi: 10.2147/DDDT.S33110. Epub 2012 Jun 11.

Treating refractory dermatomyositis or polymyositis with adrenocorticotropic hormone gel: a retrospective case series

Todd Levine  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Treating refractory dermatomyositis or polymyositis with adrenocorticotropic hormone gel: a retrospective case series

Todd Levine. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2012.

Erratum in

  • Drug Des Devel Ther. 2012;6:163

Abstract

Background: Effective and tolerable treatment options for patients with dermatomyositis and polymyositis are limited. This retrospective case review describes treatment with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) gel in five patients who experienced a disease exacerbation and either failed or were unable to tolerate the side effects of previous therapy with steroids, intravenous immunoglobulins, and steroid-sparing drugs.

Methods: Patients received ACTH gel subcutaneous injections of 80 U (1 mL) twice weekly (four patients) or once weekly (one patient) over the course of 12 weeks for short-term treatment of symptom exacerbations. Manual muscle testing using the Medical Research Council scale was assessed at baseline and at 3 months.

Results: Improvement was seen in all patients, including improved muscle strength, decreased pain, and resolution of skin involvement. All patients tolerated the treatment well, and no significant side effects occurred.

Conclusion: The treatment of dermatomyositis and polymyositis is an approved use for ACTH gel, and these anecdotal reports would suggest consideration of ACTH gel as a therapeutic option. Further investigation is warranted.

Keywords: adrenocorticotropic hormone gel; dermatomyositis; intravenous immunoglobulins; polymyositis; steroids.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Dalakas MC. Immunotherapy of myositis: issues, concerns and future prospects. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2010;6(3):129–137. - PubMed
    1. Marie I, Mouthon L. Therapy of polymyositis and dermatomyositis. Autoimmun Rev. 2011;11(1):6–13. - PubMed
    1. Patwa HS, Chaudhry V, Katzberg H, Rae-Grant AD, So YT. Evidence-based guideline: intravenous immunoglobulin in the treatment of neuromuscular disorders: report of the Therapeutics and Technology Assessment Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology. Neurology. 2012;78(13):1009–1015. - PubMed
    1. Lin RY, Rodriguez-Baez G, Bhargave GA, Lin H. Intravenous gammaglobulin- associated renal impairment reported to the FDA: 2004–2009. Clin Nephrol. 2011;76(5):365–372. - PubMed
    1. Levine TD. Rituximab in the treatment of dermatomyositis: an open-label pilot study. Arthritis Rheum. 2005;52(2):601–607. - PubMed

Publication types