Aim: To examine the characteristics, treatment patterns, and physicians' assessments of outcomes for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), or dermatomyositis/polymyositis (DM/PM) who received Acthar Gel. Materials 49 67% female; 44 60% White/non-Hispanic), 56 with SLE (average age 42 years; 47 84% female; 28 50% African–American), and 104 with DM/PM (average age 52 years; 69 66% female; 62 60% White/non-Hispanic). Patients had received Acthar Gel for an average of 9 (RA) or 8 months (SLE, DM/PM), with most receiving treatment at the time of the study. Per physicians' assessment, health status improved in 68 (93%) patients with RA, 50 (89%) patients with SLE, and 100 (96%) patients with DM/PM after starting treatment with Acthar Gel. The most common treatment goals achieved in patients with improved overall health status were improved overall symptoms, pain, physical function, and corticosteroid use in the RA cohort; overall symptoms, pain, corticosteroid use, and fatigue in the SLE cohort; and overall symptoms, strength, physical function, and corticosteroid use in the DM/PM cohort. Conclusion: These findings support the use of Acthar Gel as a potential treatment option for appropriate patients with RA, SLE, or DM/PM.
Hayes et al. (Thu,) studied this question.