Steve Bryson, PhD, science writer —

Metformin, a medicine used mostly to treat type 2 diabetes, eased the signs of Cushing’s disease in cells and in a mouse model, a study showed. “These findings suggest metformin as a potential drug for the treatment of Cushing’s disease,” researchers wrote in the study, “Metformin…

A woman with Cushing’s syndrome developed an ulcer that caused a gastrointestinal perforation, or a hole in the digestive tract, according to a case study. Because she had no established risk factors for such a complication, researchers suggested prolonged exposure to high levels of cortisol, or hypercortisolism, may have contributed…

More boys were diagnosed with Cushing’s disease before puberty than were girls, according to an examination of medical records of children and adolescent patients across Turkey. These findings contrast with observations made in adults, in whom women are diagnosed with Cushing’s far more often than men. The researchers noted,…

Dexamethasone suppression did not improve the detection of pituitary tumors via the use of PET, or positron emission tomography, scans in adults with Cushing’s disease, a new study has found. In most cases, using imaging tests to determine tumor location before pituitary surgery — the first-line treatment for Cushing’s…

A man with Cushing’s syndrome developed a rare Mycobacterium szulgai skin infection after cleaning his tropical fish tank, a study in China reported. This mycobacterium is typically found in environmental water sources, including hospital taps, ice machines, fish tanks, and swimming pools, and most reported cases of infection in humans…

Double pituitary adenomas — noncancerous tumors that cause Cushing’s disease — were detected in up to 13% of patients having tumor removal surgery at a hospital in Ukraine, a study reports. While MRI scans detected some of the additional tumors, others were discovered by a comprehensive inspection of the…

Low-grade inflammation persisted in people with Cushing’s syndrome one year after surgery to remove disease-causing tumors that led to excess cortisol, the hallmark of the condition, a recent study revealed. High levels of inflammatory markers were associated significantly with post-surgical obesity, high blood sugar levels, and worse long-term muscle function,…

A federal court ruling in Texas that reversed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) 23-year-old approval of mifepristone has been met with deep concern by the Endocrine Society. Mifepristone, the active ingredient in Mifeprex, is used to end a pregnancy. It’s also the active ingredient of Korlym,…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Xeris Pharmaceuticals orphan-drug exclusivity for Recorlev (levoketoconazole), its approved treatment for adults with endogenous Cushing’s syndrome. Orphan-drug exclusivity provides the company — which recently acquired the therapy’s developer, Strongbridge Biopharma — seven years of marketing exclusivity for Recorlev…

The hormone aldosterone may contribute to high blood pressure in people with subclinical hypercortisolism — those who have high levels of cortisol due to tumors in the adrenal glands, but do not have overt symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome. Aldosterone, excessively produced and released by the adrenal glands in these patients,…