New treatments in myositis on the horizon.

The idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM), or briefly myositis, are a heterogeneous group of rare autoimmune diseases with high morbidity and mortality. Current treatment is based on high doses of glucocorticoids over long periods of time in combination with immunosuppressive drugs, with varying and often disappointing results. Therefore, there is a high unmet need for new therapies. Subgrouping patients with IIM based on clinical, histopathological and autoantibody profiles has facilitated identification of predominant molecular pathways, and this knowledge has been applied in recent successful clinical trials, and more trials are in the pipeline. This is exciting and promising news indicating possibilities to improve health and life for patients with IIM.