The benefit of reusing data from placebo groups in inclusion myositis

American researchers associated with the Institute of Myology Research Centre have compiled and re-analysed the data accumulated in the placeboLe placebo est un produit dont la présentation est identique à celle d’un médicament, mais qui ne contient pas de principe actif. Dans un essai clinique, un placebo est utilisé pour mesurer l’action réelle du médicament testé, en comparant les effets du médicament testé contenant le principe actif et ceux du placebo. arms of several clinical trials in inclusion myositis (IMM) :

• 11 therapeutic trials were selected,
• they involved 257 participants who had received only a placebo,
• the main endpoints were changes in muscle strength and, in three studies, changes in the IBM-FRS, the functional scale specific to IBM,
• on average, patients showed a clear deterioration in these parameters over the observation period, and this deterioration is collectively measurable.

This work will enable us to better calculate the size of the groups (treated vs. controls) in future trials targeting IBM.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the response to placebo in clinical trials of inclusion body myositis. Naddaf E, Skolka MP, Prokop L et al. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2025 Mar.