Long-term corticosteroid therapy remains the reference treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), but is associated with numerous side-effects, including resting of the hypothalamo adrenal axis.
- An international group of researchers has carried out a post-hoc analysis of the data obtained in a previous phase IIb trial designed to demonstrate the superiority of vamorolone (a new-generation corticosteroid known as dissociative) over prednisone,
- cortisol levels in the morning and after stimulation by ACTH were used as biomarkers to estimate the degree of adrenal suppression,
- both corticoids cause the same level of suppression, which is dose-dependent for vamolorone.
The authors also highlight the value of hydrocortisone in the event of induced stress in subjects treated with vamorolone.
