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Changes in salivary cortisol after desmopressin stimulation could be a supplementary tool in the diagnosis of Cushing’s disease, according to Brazilian researchers. Their study, “Desmopressin Stimulated Salivary Cortisol as a Supplementary Tool in the Diagnosis of Cushing’s Syndrome,” was presented at the recent Endocrine Society meeting (ENDO 2019) in New…

Blocking the EGFR signaling pathway using the breast cancer treatment lapatinib significantly reduces the amount of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) produced by pituitary tumor cells and their proliferation in mice, a preclinical study shows. The findings suggest lapatinib — marketed as Tykerb by Novartis in the United States…

Novartis is launching a Phase 2 trial to assess the safety and efficacy of its investigational therapy osilodrostat — an inhibitor of cortisol synthesis — in children with Cushing’s disease. The Phase 2 trial (NCT03708900) is expected to enroll 12 pediatric patients, from 6 to 18 years, who…

Strongbridge Biopharma‘s Recorlev (levoketoconazole) continues to show clinically meaningful improvements in the control of cortisol among patients with endogenous Cushing’s syndrome, a Phase 3 clinical trial shows. Cushing’s syndrome is caused by the excessive production of the hormone cortisol by the adrenal glands, which sit atop…

The annual incidence of Cushing’s disease in Sweden increased between 2005 and 2013 compared to earlier periods, according to nationwide data. However, this could be because of factors other than a truly higher disease frequency, including greater awareness and earlier diagnosis. Also, the findings demonstrate the importance of confirming Cushing’s…

Long-term treatment with Strongbridge Biopharma‘s Recorlev (levoketoconazole) continues to be well-tolerated and to induce clinically meaningful improvements in endogenous Cushing’s syndrome patients, an extended evaluation of a Phase 3 clinical trial shows. Cushing’s syndrome is a medical condition caused by the excessive production of the hormone cortisol by the…

Etomidate, a commonly used anaesthetic, is well-tolerated and can be used in low doses to reduce cortisol levels in patients with Cushing’s syndrome, a report of three cases suggests. The case series, “Low-dose etomidate for the management of severe hypercortisolaemia in different clinical scenarios: a case series and…

Madeline Collin, a 24-year-old activist with Gaucher disease, worries that patients like her will suffer deeply if Britain leaves the European Union (EU), as scheduled, at the end of this month. Collin is an expert on the subject. For her University of Bath dissertation, she analyzed Brexit’s long-term…

Patients with high levels of cortisol but no clinical symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome can instead have a disease known as glucocorticoid resistance syndrome, according to a case report that documented a woman who had glucocorticoid resistance syndrome but without its associated genetic mutation. The study, “Cushing’s syndrome with no…

With each new advance in medicine comes ethical dilemmas, from fertility treatments and newborn screening, to vaccinations, gene therapies and euthanasia. But rare diseases and the expensive therapies needed to treat them — particularly in an age of scarce economic resources — almost always entail “tragic choices,” warned Avraham Steinberg,…