Patricia Inácio, PhD, science writer —

A European Medicines Agency (EMA) committee has recommended the approval of osilodrostat — to be marketed as Isturisa — for the treatment of adults with Cushing’s syndrome. Osilodrostat, formerly known as LCI699, is an oral treatment that inhibits an enzyme called 11-beta-hydroxylase, which is involved in…

Surgically removing both adrenal glands is a safe and effective way to control excessive cortisol levels in people with Cushing’s disease who fail to improve after pituitary surgery or through medication, a study suggests. Findings also showed that levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol, as well as excess…

Positron emission tomography (PET) scans help identify neuroendocrine tumors causing ectopic Cushing’s syndrome in patients whose disease persisted or recurred after initial treatment, a new study suggests. The research, “68Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT in detecting neuroendocrine tumours responsible for initial or recurrent paraneoplastic Cushing’s syndrome,” was published in the journal…

Levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) in circulation after pituitary surgery may help predict which Cushing’s disease patients will achieve early remission and which will eventually see the disease return, a study shows. Also, the earlier that patients reached their lowest peak of ACTH levels, the better their long-term…

Tumors in the thymus that produce too much of the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) may be the cause of ectopic Cushing’s syndrome, a case report shows. ACTH staining may be useful to confirm ACTH production in suspicious tumors, researchers said. The study, “Ectopic Cushing’s syndrome due to adrenocorticotropic hormone secreting…

The European Medicine Agency‘s Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) has recommended that Corcept Therapeutics‘ relacorilant receive orphan drug designation for the treatment of Cushing’s syndrome, the company announced in a press release. The European Commission is expected to accept the recommendation by the end of the…

Elevated cortisol levels in people with subclinical Cushing’s syndrome appear to increase their likelihood of metabolic disease — a group of factors that raise the risk of heart disease — even though these patients don’t have the typical weight gain seen in overt Cushing’s syndrome, a study suggests. Results of the…

Increased cortisol secretion may follow a cyclic pattern in patients with adrenal incidentalomas, a phenomenon that may lead to misdiagnosis, a study reports. Since cyclic subclinical hypercortisolism may increase the risk for heart problems, researchers recommend extended follow-up with repeated tests to measure cortisol levels in these patients. The study,…

Cushing’s disease patients in Sweden have a higher risk of death than the general Swedish population, particularly of cardiovascular complications, and that increased risk persists even in patients in remission, a large nationwide study shows. The study, “Overall and disease-specific mortality in patients with Cushing’s disease: a Swedish nationwide study,”…

The production of adenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) by the placenta during pregnancy may complicate and worsen Cushing’s syndrome manifestations, a case report shows. The study, “Exacerbation of Cushing’s syndrome during pregnancy: stimulation of a cortisol-secreting adrenocortical adenoma by ACTH originating from the foeto-placental unit” was published in the journal Endocrinology,…