Long-acting porcine sequence ACTH in the diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency: a cost-effective alternative to the ACTH1-24 test.

Abstract

While the ACTH1-24 test has some well-documented shortcomings, it is the most widely used test to diagnose primary and secondary adrenal insufficiency. However, this synthetic ACTH preparation is not readily available in some countries. Research from India has demonstrated that using a long-acting porcine sequence ACTH has similar diagnostic performance to ACTH1-24 at around 25% of the cost. This may allow access to a robust test for adrenal insufficiency to developing countries and potentially allow thousands of patients to be identified and appropriately treated.