Improvement of recalcitrant multisystem disease in dermatomyositis with anifrolumab: a case series

To investigate anifrolumab's ability to treat cutaneous and extracutaneous manifestations of dermatomyositis (DM) refractory to conventional systemic therapies.

We reviewed the records of patients with adult-onset DM managed at the Cutaneous Autoimmune Connective Tissue Disease Clinic in the Department of Dermatology at Johns Hopkins Hospital who received 300 mg infusions of anifrolumab every 4 weeks between April and August 2024 for refractory disease. Data on demographics, disease severity, lab findings, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and treatment details were collected. Cutaneous improvement was evaluated using the Cutaneous Dermatomyositis Disease Area and Severity Index-Activity (CDASI-A), while extracutaneous symptoms were assessed through lab results, physical exams and subjective reports.

Four patients were identified. Clinical responses were assessed after three infusions for patients 1 and 3 and two infusions for patients 2 and 4. All patients showed improvement in cutaneous disease, with a median (range) CDASI-A reduction of 12 points or 49.4% (5-21; 26.9-77.8%). Patients 1-3 also experienced improvement in extracutaneous symptoms, including arthralgia/synovitis, dysphagia, muscle strength and creatine kinase levels. Patients 1 and 4 tapered or discontinued systemic therapies including steroid. Pre-anifrolumab DLQI data, available for two patients, showed post-treatment improvement. No anifrolumab-related adverse effects were observed.

This case series is the first to demonstrate anifrolumab's potential to treat refractory extracutaneous manifestations of adult-onset DM, facilitate prednisone tapering and discontinue systemic therapies. These findings provide new evidence that systemic blockade of type I interferon can manage treatment-resistant multi-organ DM manifestations, including skin, joint and muscle involvement.