The study found that adding DZP to standard care led to greater improvements in disease activity, fewer severe flare-ups, and reduced corticosteroid use compared to placebo. The treatment was generally well tolerated, with mostly mild side effects.

For patients with SLE, this study suggests that DZP could be a promising new treatment option that helps better control lupus symptoms, potentially reducing flare-ups and the need for high doses of steroids.

For healthcare providers, this could mean having a new tool to offer patients who are not responding well to current treatments, helping to improve their disease management and quality of life.

Building on these findings, a second Phase 3 trial, PHOENYCS FLY, launched in 2025, with HSS again participating as a study site.

To view the full abstract, please visit: acrabstracts.org.

"Many people with dermatomyositis see a dermatologist first because their initial symptoms are often skin-related. Dermatologists help confirm the diagnosis with skin biopsy, then manage skin disease with topical creams and ointments, and sometimes oral and injectable medicines,” Dr. Fernandez explained. 

“A rheumatologist, a doctor trained in inflammatory disease, is essential for your care team,” said Dr. Fernandez. “Most of the treatment of dermatomyositis uses oral or injectable medicines that target the immune system, like steroids or immune globulin,” he explained. “Because rheumatologists have very wide experience in using and managing the side effects of immunosuppressive medicines, they frequently take the lead.”

Read the full article at healthcentral.com. 

Taking charge of your health is always important—but even more so when you live with a challenging condition like dermatomyositis, a rare inflammatory disease that causes skin rashes and muscle weakness, affecting one in 100,000 people worldwide. 

Eating well helps support your overall body function—especially for people with immune system disorders. While there’s no one-size-fits-all diet to control dermatomyositis, “patients will often tell me they feel better after making a modification to their diet or trying to eat healthier,” said Dr. Fernandez. 

Is working up a sweat good for a person with dermatomyositis? Many studies have been done, and the verdict is clear: Exercise is not only safe, but is beneficial for folks with this condition who are not actively flaring. “Over time, as the muscle heals from microscopic injuries caused by exercise, it comes back stronger,” explained Dr. Fernandez. “Even if the dermatomyositis is well-controlled by medicines, any strength deficits that were brought on by the disease can take a long time to reverse, and the best way to rapidly build back strength and function is with exercise.”

Read the full article at healthcentral.com. 

This autoimmune disease affects different people in different ways. That means treating your specific symptoms requires a targeted approach.

First, a deeper look at the disease. “Dermatomyositis is an autoimmune disease where the white blood cells of the immune system, which normally protect us from bacteria and viruses in the environment, mistakenly cause injury to the body instead,” explained Dr. Fernandez. You experience symptoms on your skin and in your muscles from this condition because that’s where rogue immune cells go on the attack, he adds, explaining that “the medicines we use to treat dermatomyositis generally blunt or block the immune system, which helps to control the disease.”

If you’re experiencing muscle weakness, your doctor will likely initially prescribe you a steroid which works by blocking the immune system response that can lead to muscle inflammation. “Steroids have very rapid and powerful effects on the immune system and are inexpensive, but they also have many side effects, including elevated blood sugar and blood pressure, mood changes, weight gain, and a decrease in bone density,” said Dr. Fernandez. 

“Recent years have seen a surge in clinical trials in dermatomyositis, as well,” observed Dr. Fernandez. “Until we have more formally approved options, clinical trials are also an important consideration for patients.”

Read the full article at healthcentral.com. 

According to Dr. Fernandez, “I think overall public interest in biosimilars will be impacted in a big way if use of biosimilars results in cost savings or ease of authorization that are felt at the level of the individual patient or prescriber – failing that, enthusiasm may remain limited.”

Read the full article at Healio.com/news/rheumatology.

“The closest mimics of myositis are those illnesses characterized by proximal muscle weakness, myopathy and elevated creatine kinase (CK), including inclusion body myositis (IBM) and limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) like facioscapulohumeral dystrophy or dysferlinopathy,” explained Dr. Fernandez.

While there are significant challenges presented by these conditions and the myopathies they mimic, Dr. Fernandez suggested that the mimics fall into two broad categories. “The most common referrals to me that are not myositis take one of two forms: either they are related to abnormal elevation of muscle lab tests, such as CK, or they are related to new onset weakness.”

According to Dr. Fernandez, clinicians should carefully examine the patient history for clues that show deviations from established myositis symptoms. He stressed that weakness from myositis often takes a symmetric, proximal form. Regarding diagnostic criteria specific to mimics, Dr. Fernandez noted excessive pain, atypical features like cramping, early or localized atrophy, localized weakness, stiffness and isolated gait issues, prominent ocular symptoms like diplopia, paresthesia, numbness or fasciculations. “Lastly, clinicians should always be concerned when patients are not responding to therapy,” he said. “Whenever that happens, reconsidering the diagnosis is a valuable place to start.”

Read the full article at Healio.com/news/rheumatology.

While the FDA approved 26 biosimilar therapies, many of them with indications for rheumatologic and inflammatory diseases, only two are currently available in the U.S. “There are definitely many factors. A major one is litigation by reference drug makers attempting to limit access of biosimilars to the market, in many cases having to do with patent enforcement. Many of these cases have been settled, with the outcome of delayed entry —meaning, the biosimilar drug will come to market years in the future, rather than immediately after it is approved by the FDA,” explained Dr. Fernandez.

Dr. Fernandez discussed additional factors delaying market entry, including costs and physician prescribing behaviors. “Many physicians are conservative in adoption of new therapies, particularly when switching well-controlled patients to a new agent. To overcome that, an effort must be made to familiarize oneself with new agents, to gain confidence and to use them more. At the moment, there are some theoretical concerns about interchangeability between the biosimilar and bio-reference agent, though there have been some reassuring studies on that point,” said Dr. Fernandez.

Read the full article at Healio.com/rheumatology.