Recent News
Read ArticleDr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com. New drugs approved, new drugs halted and some drugs out of control. Ready to test your knowlege? Take this week's quiz!
Why does obesity worsen Rheumatic disease?
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Myositis patients with anti-TIFF-1 gamma antibody positivity are at risk for what? Answers: Calcinosis; Overlap syndrome; Progressive ILD; or Malignancy.
See if you got it right in this week's RheumIQ at https://t.co/UaXqHKWizt.
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True or False: In a Korean National Health Insurance study, gout patients on allopurinol had a significantly higher risk of fractures, with the highest risk seen in those with low adherence.
Did you get it right?
Take this week's RheumIQ and see: https://t.co/UaXqHKWizt. https://t.co/7nILMVUeGw
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True or False: Jaccoud's arthropathy causes joint deformities due to bone and cartilage damage, and erosions are typically visible on X-ray.
Test your knowledge in this week's RheumIQ at https://t.co/UaXqHKWizt.
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
NEJM images: Jaccoud’s arthropathy is a chronic, deforming;from laxity of the ligaments & tendons (not damage to bone & cartilage). Deformities are reducible & no erosions on Xray. Jaccoud’s mimics RA, but most seen w/ SLE. https://t.co/99WDNcpT5c https://t.co/EdiGW1dDWY
Links:
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Novartis & BMS CAR-T Cell Trials on Hold
Reuters and the Wall Street Journal report that both Novartis and Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) have paused their autoimmune disease CAR-T cell trials due to safety concerns, including deaths.
https://t.co/ffcAHhtdBh https://t.co/zKlFcBdEod
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Chinese retrospective study of 140 Bx proven Kikuchi-Fujimoto pts shows very few evolve into #SLE. While 60% were ANA+ (11.3% other autoAbs) - none developed SLE (median F/U 39mos). KFD is benign, self limiting necrotizing lymphadenitis usually in young women. https://t.co/NjNoMOgNcC
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FDA Approves Brepocitinib to Treat Dermatomyositis
The FDA and Priovant recently announced approval of brepocitinib (Lisraya), a JAK1/TYK2 inhibitor, for the indication of adults with dermatomyositis (DM). This is the first oral (once daily) agent approved for DM. https://t.co/blsl1365XS
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NEW FROM EULAR: A real-world analysis of predictors of IBD in PsA.
🔎 In patients with PsA, signs and symptoms of IBD may appear before diagnosis, but do we know what to look for? Explore the poster: https://t.co/JX0Y0AQ07N
Sponsored by AbbVie Medical Affairs + Health Impact. https://t.co/zx9kjsiZfZ
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Necrotizing arteritis is rare w/ IgA Vasculitis (IgAV). Review compared 30 IgAV-NA to 257 adult IgAV & 196 PAN pts. Overall IgAV-NA is a severe IgAV phenotype with life-threatening complications & should prompt vascular imaging and intensified immunosuppression. IgAV-NA had more https://t.co/GRVcqRPKTL
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Novartis & BMS CAR-T Cell Trials in autoimmune diseases are put on hold with concerns about safety and 3 deaths. https://t.co/ffcAHhtdBh https://t.co/aBCcaKGlF4
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Metanalysis looked at neutrophil to Lymph ration (NLR) in SLE - 31 studies, 4,006 SLE pts. NLR signif incr in SLE worldwide. NLR was higher in Active vs inactive SLE, and showed a significant but moderate correlation w/ SLEDAI (CC=0.354, p < 0.001). https://t.co/tA6UBb1wVo https://t.co/XoXrf6HlKL
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Small series of 5 Idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) pts Rx w/ obinutuzumab for refractory myositis (2 antisynthetase syndr, 1 DM, 2 overlap myositis). 4/5 patients achieved complete response. Lung improved/stabilized in ILD patients. Two required second obinutuzumab cycle. https://t.co/ev9qlEO04l
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Ro52 Abs in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM). From 2,126 IIM China/Japan pts, Ro52 positivity was common (46%), esp in MDA5+ DM & anti-synthetase syndr (ASyS) & was assoc w/ high freq of ILD, rapidly progressive ILD, and poor prognosis. https://t.co/TA4gSnZax1 https://t.co/riYs5YJwQV
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QD Clinic: RA, IBD and Frank's sign
Daric Mueller, PA-C, St. Clair Shores, MI, presents a case called, "Rheumatoid Arthritis, IBD and Frank's Sign", as part of RheumNow's "The Obesity Imperative" campaign presented in September 2026.
https://t.co/XMD0b35fiu https://t.co/9WUdZKAR0w
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QD Clinic: The Weight Behind Delay in Diagnosis
Dr. Antoni Chan, London, discusses a case of a patient with ankylosing spondylitis whose weight delayed the diagnosis and treatment of AS. This QD Clinic is presented as part of RheumNow's "The Obesity Imperative" campaign, https://t.co/fDozAaX64j
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EBR Journal Club: Dapirolizumab Pegol in SLE (PHOENYCS GO)
The EBR Journal Club Companion applies my adapted JAMA approach to critical appraisal to an important rheumatology RCT. Each review covers four domains: Does this apply to my patients? What is the risk of bias? How https://t.co/kereLii5J6
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“ABCDE” Approach to Difficult-to-Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis
The proposed approach to D2T-RA is based on the EULAR definition (having failed 2 or more b/tsDMARDs). It is estimated that up to 20% of RA patients meet this D2T-RA definition and can be plagued by active or https://t.co/o39IREvjI4
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Cochrane systematic review of LBP Rx (8 RCTs, 501 cLBP pts) show that Lumbar supports may result in a small reduction in pain intensity if given w/ NSAIDs, but may offer little to no benefit for pain intensity & disability if used alone. Insufficient evidence to support their https://t.co/6Vq4CPXLvE
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Video
From the Blog
At first, it seemed similar to many other such sessions – a circle of folding chairs, a group of colleagues whose visages exuded understanding and acceptance – but this was special. I started the meeting…. “Hi, my name is Artie.”
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Podcasts
Treating Obesity is Disease-Modifying (9.4.2026)
A Day in the Life of a Rheumatology APP: A Focus on Interstitial Lung Disease” (hosted by Amanda Mixon, PA-C)
DERM on RheumNow PODCAST (August 2026)-
NME: New Molecular Entities (8.28.2026)
Therapeutic Updates
Label update: Structural damage progression in active PsA
Sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Medical Affairs
Listen to Dr. Catherine Bakewell’s review of clinical data from a recent label update.
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Poster Hall
Sponsored by AbbVie Medical Affairs + Health Impact
GCA Flares With a JAKi in the Second Year of SELECT-GCA
Daily Gem
Ask about weight just as you ask about smoking — it's a modifiable driver of disease activity.
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