Dermatomyositis
New dermatomyositis research, summarized each month in plain language.
2026 so far: So far in 2026 (January-September), trial evidence for brepocitinib strengthened for skin and overall improvement but with more serious infections, while anti-MDA5 lung-risk tools using CT and blood markers expanded. Read the 2026 review
We also cover clinical trials.
Yearly update
2026 so far
- Brepocitinib benefits and risks. Trial evidence matured, with benefit paired to infection risk.
- Targeted options for skin. More pathway-targeted skin and itch reports appeared in 2026.
- JAK inhibitors for lung disease. More JAK-inhibitor lung reports, with benefits and infection concerns.
- Anti-MDA5 lung risk tools. More CT-and-blood risk tools emerged; rapid ILD prediction stayed limited.
- Cancer risk and screening. Risk models and audits highlighted clustering and screening gaps.
New
September 2026
- Upadacitinib case reports. Two case reports noted improvement, but evidence remains limited.
- Rapid lung worsening. Anti-MDA5 with fast-worsening lung disease linked to poorer outcomes.
- Subtype testing tools. Antibody tests, skin stains, and nailfold imaging helped sort subtypes.
August 2026
- Skin symptom improvement. Brepocitinib improved rash and itch versus placebo in a trial.
- Infection and relapse reports. Upadacitinib reports included frequent infections and some relapses.
- Severe lung disease markers. Anti-MDA5 and anti-Ro52 antibodies tracked with more severe lung disease.
- Cancer risk near onset. Cancer risk often clustered near onset, especially with anti-TIF1gamma.
July 2026
- Anti-MDA5 test accuracy. A modified anti-MDA5 method reduced false positives in one comparison.
- Lung risk measures. Quantitative CT measures tracked with worse lung function and survival.
- Cancer risk and screening. Higher-risk groups had more cancers, while screening varied by region.
June 2026
- Skin symptom change. A trial analysis linked dazukibart to earlier rash and itch relief.
- Lung risk signs. Some lung complications were linked to worse short-term outcomes.
- IVIg access barriers. IVIg use was common, but cost and access differed by setting.
- Antibody test mismatch. Some antibody tests did not match, suggesting possible false positives.
May 2026
- Itch and skin symptoms. In a small report, nemolizumab was linked to less itching and better skin scores.
- Interferon blood signal. In two patients, anifrolumab was linked to improved skin findings and a lower type I interferon blood signal.
- Tracking lung involvement. Blood testing (KL-6) plus lung ultrasound (B-lines) flagged interstitial lung disease best overall, but this approach was less reliable in rapidly progressive cases.
- Weak anti-MDA5 results. Borderline (weakly positive) anti-MDA5 blood test results often did not match a dermatomyositis diagnosis.
April 2026
- Immune-targeting drugs. In small studies of hard-to-treat dermatomyositis, some immune-targeting medicines showed early signals of benefit.
- Estimating lung risk. Several tools combined clinical features, blood tests, and imaging to estimate interstitial lung disease risk, especially in anti-MDA5 dermatomyositis.
- Biopsy stain for diagnosis. A muscle biopsy stain (MxA) helped distinguish dermatomyositis from some inherited muscle diseases in unclear cases.
- Measuring daily function. In juvenile dermatomyositis, parent-reported scores and simple movement tests captured day-to-day limits that may not show up on clinic exams.
March 2026
- Brepocitinib trial results. In a large trial, brepocitinib lowered overall dermatomyositis disease activity compared with placebo.
- Serious infection risk. In the same trial, serious infections were reported more often with brepocitinib than with placebo.
- Breathing test change. A drop in FVC over one year was linked to worse long-term outcomes in myositis-related lung disease.
- Combining tests for diagnosis. Using multiple tests together helped distinguish dermatomyositis from similar-looking conditions.
February 2026
- Tracking measures. Blood tests, skin scores, and wearables helped measure disease activity.
- Autoantibody test match. New autoantibody tests closely matched older reference lab methods.
- Anti-MDA5 lung risk. Early anti-MDA5 changes and CT findings helped estimate lung risk.
- Swallowing difficulty. Dermatomyositis was linked to more severe throat-phase swallowing problems.
January 2026
- Lung risk patterns. CT scans and blood counts helped sort fast-worsening lung risk.
- Normal screening labs. Other tests still pointed to inflammatory muscle disease when screening labs were normal.
- Pregnancy flare risk. Complications were reported only when disease flared during pregnancy.
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