Approved Treatments

Isturisa was approved in 2020 to treat adults with Cushing’s disease for whom pituitary surgery is ineffective or not an option. The oral medication works by inhibiting an enzyme called 11-beta-hydroxylase, which is involved in cortisol production.

Korlym is an FDA-approved medication intended to treat high blood sugar in adults with Cushing’s syndrome who have type 2 diabetes or gluten intolerance and for whom surgery has failed to control symptoms or is not an option at all. It is specifically meant to treat patients with endogenous Cushing’s syndrome, in which the body’s own overproduction of cortisol — usually due to the presence of a tumor — is the reason why hormone levels rise above healthy limits.

Recorlev was approved by the FDA in December 2021 to treat those Cushing’s patients for whom surgery is not a choice or has failed to lower cortisol levels. The medication is an oral cortisol synthesis inhibitor that prevents the adrenal glands — sitting atop the kidneys — from producing too much cortisol, thereby easing Cushing’s symptoms.

Signifor (pasireotide) is an injection therapy approved for adults with Cushing’s disease for whom pituitary surgery isn’t an option or has been ineffective. Injected subcutaneously, or under the skin, it’s designed to lower cortisol levels and ease disease symptoms.

Signifor LAR (pasireotide) is an injectable medication approved for people with Cushing’s disease for whom pituitary surgery is not an option or has been ineffective. It is designed to lower cortisol levels and ease disease symptoms. The LAR in its name indicates it is a long-acting release formulation.