Long-term oral glucocorticoid use is associated with complications, healthcare resource utilization, and costs among patients with dermatomyositis or polymyositis

DM/PM patients with LT OGC use had higher rates of associated medical conditions and higher healthcare resource utilization and costs than ST users. Key points • Long-term use of oral glucocorticoids (OGC) in patients with dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM) is associated with increased risk of complications, and there is limited real-world evidence on the association of long-term use with clinical and economic outcomes. • This real-world claims-based study demonstrated that long-term OGC use in patients with DM/PM leads to higher rates of complications, advanced treatment use and healthcare resource utilization, and higher costs compared with short-term OGC use. • These findings highlight the limitations of OGC as a therapeutic tool and further support an unmet medical need for new treatment options among patients with DM/PM. • Disease management with novel treatments that have an advantageous safety profile and can be utilized any time throughout the disease course may provide safer, more efficacious alternatives to OGC.