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Tofacitinib Shows Early Potential for Treating Dermatomyositis

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Currently, the standard therapy for dermatomyositis includes administering corticosteroids, typically with an immunosuppressive agent. But treatment options for refractory dermatomyositis are very limited, Dr. Paik acknowledges.

Although further study of tofacitinib for dermatomyositis is necessary, Dr. Paik says, “Our results seem promising in dermatomyositis. There is no FDA-approved drug for this disease process.”

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She says the decision to proceed with a randomized controlled trial is contingent on the completion and final analysis of all data from this pilot study, which are expected next year.

Carina Stanton is a freelance science journalist based in Denver.

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References

  1. Paik JJ, Albayda J, Tiniakou E, et al. Study of tofacitinib in refractory dermatomyositis (STIR): An open label pilot study in refractory dermatomyositis [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2018 Oct;70(suppl 10).
  2. Anyanwu CO, Fiorentino DF, Chung L, et al. Validation of the cutaneous dermatomyositis disease area and severity index: Characterizing disease severity and assessing responsiveness to clinical change [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2013 Oct:65.

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