• Michela Guglieri, Kate Bushby, Michael P McDermott, Kimberly A Hart, Rabi Tawil, William B Martens, Barbara E Herr, Elaine McColl, Chris Speed, Jennifer Wilkinson, Janbernd Kirschner, Wendy M King, Michelle Eagle, Mary W Brown, Tracey Willis, Robert C Griggs, FOR-DMD Investigators of the Muscle Study Group, Volker Straub, Henriette van Ruiten, Anne-Marie Childs, Emma Ciafaloni, Perry B Shieh, Stefan Spinty, Lorenzo Maggi, Giovanni Baranello, Russell J Butterfield, I A Horrocks, Helen Roper, Zoya Alhaswani, Kevin M Flanigan, Nancy L Kuntz, Adnan Manzur, Basil T Darras, Peter B Kang, Leslie Morrison, Monika Krzesniak-Swinarska, Jean K Mah, Tiziana E Mongini, Federica Ricci, Maja von der Hagen, Richard S Finkel, Kathleen O'Reardon, Matthew Wicklund, Ashutosh Kumar, Craig M McDonald, Jay J Han, Nanette Joyce, Erik K Henricson, Ulrike Schara-Schmidt, Andrea Gangfuss, Ekkehard Wilichowski, Richard J Barohn, Jeffrey M Statland, Craig Campbell, Giuseppe Vita, Gian Luca Vita, James F Howard, Imelda Hughes, Hugh J McMillan, Elena Pegoraro, Luca Bello, W Bryan Burnette, Mathula Thangarajh, and Taeun Chang.
• John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre, Newcastle University and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
• JAMA. 2022 Apr 19; 327 (15): 145614681456-1468.

ImportanceCorticosteroids improve strength and function in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. However, there is uncertainty regarding the optimum regimen and dosage.ObjectiveTo compare efficacy and adverse effects of the 3 most frequently prescribed corticosteroid regimens in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.Design, Setting, And ParticipantsDouble-blind, parallel-group randomized clinical trial including 196 boys aged 4 to 7 years with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who had not previously been treated with corticosteroids; enrollment occurred between January 30, 2013, and September 17, 2016, at 32 clinic sites in 5 countries. The boys were assessed for 3 years (last participant visit on October 16, 2019).InterventionsParticipants were randomized to daily prednisone (0.75 mg/kg) (n = 65), daily deflazacort (0.90 mg/kg) (n = 65), or intermittent prednisone (0.75 mg/kg for 10 days on and then 10 days off) (n = 66).Main Outcomes And MeasuresThe global primary outcome comprised 3 end points: rise from the floor velocity (in rise/seconds), forced vital capacity (in liters), and participant or parent global satisfaction with treatment measured by the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication (TSQM; score range, 0 to 100), each averaged across all study visits after baseline. Pairwise group comparisons used a Bonferroni-adjusted significance level of .017.ResultsAmong the 196 boys randomized (mean age, 5.8 years [SD, 1.0 years]), 164 (84%) completed the trial. Both daily prednisone and daily deflazacort were more effective than intermittent prednisone for the primary outcome (P < .001 for daily prednisone vs intermittent prednisone using a global test; P = .017 for daily deflazacort vs intermittent prednisone using a global test) and the daily regimens did not differ significantly (P = .38 for daily prednisone vs daily deflazacort using a global test). The between-group differences were principally attributable to rise from the floor velocity (0.06 rise/s [98.3% CI, 0.03 to 0.08 rise/s] for daily prednisone vs intermittent prednisone [P = .003]; 0.06 rise/s [98.3% CI, 0.03 to 0.09 rise/s] for daily deflazacort vs intermittent prednisone [P = .017]; and -0.004 rise/s [98.3% CI, -0.03 to 0.02 rise/s] for daily prednisone vs daily deflazacort [P = .75]). The pairwise comparisons for forced vital capacity and TSQM global satisfaction subscale score were not statistically significant. The most common adverse events were abnormal behavior (22 [34%] in the daily prednisone group, 25 [38%] in the daily deflazacort group, and 24 [36%] in the intermittent prednisone group), upper respiratory tract infection (24 [37%], 19 [29%], and 24 [36%], respectively), and vomiting (19 [29%], 17 [26%], and 15 [23%]).Conclusions And RelevanceAmong patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, treatment with daily prednisone or daily deflazacort, compared with intermittent prednisone alternating 10 days on and 10 days off, resulted in significant improvement over 3 years in a composite outcome comprising measures of motor function, pulmonary function, and satisfaction with treatment; there was no significant difference between the 2 daily corticosteroid regimens. The findings support the use of a daily corticosteroid regimen over the intermittent prednisone regimen tested in this study as initial treatment for boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01603407.

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