New study showed that daily corticosteroid therapy was superior to alternating therapy for boys who have Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

 Effect of Different Corticosteroid Dosing Regimens on Clinical Outcomes in Boys With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

A Randomized Clinical Trial

JAMA. 2022;327(15):1456-1468. doi:10.1001/jama.2022.4315
Published online April 5, 2022.

This clinical trial compared 3 corticosteroid treatment regimens for boys who had Duchenne muscular dystrophy:

• Prednisone 0.75 mg per kg body weight daily
• Deflazacort (Emflaza) 0.9 mg per kg body weight daily
• Prednisone 0.75 mg per kg body weight for 10 days alternating with 10 days of no prednisone

After 3 years the investigators found that the boys who took either daily regimen did better than the boys who took prednisone on an alternating regimen of 10 days on and 10 days off.  Side effects were similar among the groups.  The outcomes of the two daily corticosteroid regimens were not significantly different.