Recent News

  • GRAPPA vs. EULAR on Complex/Difficult-to-Manage Psoriatic Arthritis

    Nelly Ziade
    Magnifying glass
    The “Difficult” framework has now reached PsA. At EULAR 2025, two independent definitions were presented: one by the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis and another by EULAR. This short review explores the similarities and differences between these definitions and discusses their potential implications for clinical practice and research, especially for the increasingly perplexed rheumatologist.
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SI AS SpA ACR

Remission in Axial Spondyloarthritis Unrelated to Gut Inflammation

MedPage Today

Most patients with early, active axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) who quickly received a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor experienced remission, and it didn't matter whether or not they had intestinal inflammation at baseline, a small single-arm study found.

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EULAR 2025 – RA Panel Discussion Leading experts in rheumatology dive into the latest advances, treatment strategies, and emerging research in rheumatoid arthritis. Don’t miss this in-depth panel as they unpack key findings from EULAR 2025 and discuss what’s next for RA care. https://t.co/hoxz0zWieN
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow (  View Tweet)
Eular 2025 PsA Topic Panel https://t.co/wJ08aKGZfJ https://t.co/6OvkIeOT76

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Dr. John Cush @RheumNow (  View Tweet)
EULAR 2025 – SpA Panel Discussion Leading rheumatology experts discuss the latest research, treatment advances, and clinical insights in axial spondyloarthritis. Hear what’s new from EULAR 2025 and what it means for improving patient outcomes. https://t.co/AcwtseWBi0 https://t.co/MzEN0VtLx6

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Dr. John Cush @RheumNow (  View Tweet)
UK study of 17472 newly Dx #RA pts (10997 MTX, 4,540 csDMARDs; 13680 steroids-CS) w/ 1307 Serious Infx (SI) (3/100PY) & 311 SI deaths. MTX signif decr. SI (adj HR 0.72) & CS no effect HR 0.99. SI assoc w/ age, smoker, comorbidity, seropositive, high DAS28. 1 DAS unit incr SI https://t.co/Zmsuaf7Rw3
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow (  View Tweet)
EULAR 2025 Rheumatology RoundUp Hosted by Dr. John J. Cush and Dr. Arthur Kavanaugh https://t.co/1UrvLbWYFs

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Dr. John Cush @RheumNow (  View Tweet)

What would it take for JAKs to ROCK the boat? JAK inhibitors have taken a beating over the last three years. The excitement and potential has been tempered by mounting cardiovascular safety concerns, but specifically in at-risk patients, compared to TNF inhibitors. Once the https://t.co/JgmfxGa6TY
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow (  View Tweet)

EMA has published a concept paper about the need for guidance to inform the development of systemic sclerosis (SSc) treatments. They have identified study designs & endpoints; exploratory and confirmatory trials, and assessments of safety and efficacy. See draft here: https://t.co/WADBrw2uXe

Dr. John Cush @RheumNow (  View Tweet)
SCLERODERMA Pt education page from JAMA Dermatology https://t.co/hILqCeUnE2 https://t.co/cZCgoRHbDZ

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Dr. John Cush @RheumNow (  View Tweet)
Global burden of dz study - UN statistics show post-Menopausal women (PMW) are 20% of all women in 2021 (vs 13.7% 1990). From 1990 to 2021, the prevalence of MSK Dz in PMW significantly risen, especially for RA, OA, and gout. https://t.co/HdkopkxLdv https://t.co/wsGhg0P1tL

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Dr. John Cush @RheumNow (  View Tweet)
Survey of 154 Saudi established #RA pts on MTX >3mos; 64% claiming #MTX intolerance & 36% w/ MTX Intolerance Severity Score (MISS) >6. But MTX intolerance was NOT related to dose or route of administration, meal or time of day. These were not new MTX starters https://t.co/6KWGcZvx4o
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow (  View Tweet)
FDA has approved a SC autoinjector of Benlysta (BEL) for use in pediatric lupus nephritis & pts > 5rs of age for SLE and active LN. BEL SC dosing for Pediatric SLE: 200 mg qwk (>40 kg) or 200 mg EOW (q2wk) if 15-40 kg. https://t.co/xrMJUgdSWv https://t.co/UJ2LZ3dU5p

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Dr. John Cush @RheumNow (  View Tweet)
Knee.pain_.ice_.injury_0.jpg

Simple Measures are Effective in Knee Osteoarthritis

EurekAlert!

Knee braces, water therapy and exercise are the most promising non-drug therapies for treating knee osteoarthritis, according to a new meta-analysis publishing June 18, 2025 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Yuan Luo of the First People’s Hospital of Neijiang, China.

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Full read overview of MDA-5 Dermatomyositis (DM) - pathogenesis, findings, & Rx. MDA-5 DM is a rare, aggressive amyopathic form with distinctive skin findings & rapidly progressive interstitial lung dz. Rx includes Hi dose steroids, calcineurin inhib & IV CTX (maybe JAKi, MMF)

Dr. John Cush @RheumNow (  View Tweet)

Does Abatacept Buy You Time Off RA? Dr. David Liew reports on abstract OP0325 presented at the 2025 EULAR meeting in Barcelona, Spain. https://t.co/t8NLvPjcju https://t.co/bloTKQ87rv

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Dr. John Cush @RheumNow (  View Tweet)
Not All About B Cells: Myeloid Related Inflammation in Lupus Pathogenesis Dr. Andrea Fava shares his perspectives from the EULAR 2025 meeting in Barcelona, Spain. https://t.co/8Lh02c3sy4 https://t.co/XX7wKovD9u

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Dr. John Cush @RheumNow (  View Tweet)
Social Determinants of Health in SLE Dr. Mrinalini Dey interviews Dr. Elena Nikiphorou about the topic of social determinants of health in systemic lupus erythematosus, and data being presented at the EULAR 2025 meeting in Barcelona, Spain. https://t.co/gSFIV8uIuE https://t.co/VpqzVRSwh9

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Dr. John Cush @RheumNow (  View Tweet)
Add-on certolizumab in pregnant women with APS Women with antiphospholipid syndrome and lupus anti-coagulant are at high risk of developing adverse pregnancy outcomes (APO). Usual care includes low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) and low dose aspirin (LDA). https://t.co/qnnkFlhtiS
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow (  View Tweet)
Secukinumab & Uveitis = Unclear? Post hoc study of 11 SEC RCTs finds lower uveitis risk in AxSpA (N 1980; SEC 150 1.29/100PYs vs 1.72/100PY in PBO), but not in PsA (N 2453; SEC 300 0.71/100PY vs  zero w/ placebo) https://t.co/Gv9HheBU7l https://t.co/SlnrLRwmmn

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Dr. John Cush @RheumNow (  View Tweet)
Predicting Psoriatic Arthritis in Psoriasis: How Close Are We? Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) affects approximately 30% of patients with psoriasis (PsO), and diagnostic delays are associated with worse prognosis, making early detection crucial. At EULAR 2025, several studies https://t.co/RLz1FoQxvc
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow (  View Tweet)

From the blog

rheumthought

CNS Lupus (NPSLE)

Jack Cush, MD
Cush RhTh CNS
29 yr. old woman with SLE and transverse myelitis. Is this NPSLE; how to diagnose?
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Podcasts

  • EULAR 2025 - Day 9 podcast
  • Trends and Innovations from Barcelona (6.2
  • EULAR 2025 - Day 8 podcast
  • EULAR 2025 – SpA Panel Discussion
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Therapeutic Updates

Debunked. Expert perspectives on Sjögren’s Disease myths

Sponsored by Novartis Medical Affairs
Novartis June RX Update
How well do you know Sjögren’s disease? Test your knowledge and then hear rheumatologist, Dr Sara McCoy, discuss common myths and realities about managing patients with Sjögren’s disease.
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Patient Phenotypes Within the Clinical Program of an IL-23 Inhibitor for PsA

Sponsored by AbbVie Medical Affairs + Health Impact
AbbVie June RX Update
Watch rheumatologist Dr. Alexis Ogdie and rheumatologist and dermatologist Dr. Saakshi Khattri discuss a new analysis of patient phenotypes in PsA from clinical trials of an IL-23 inhibitor. In this conversation, they discuss disease activity differences between clinical trial populations and real-world patients, efficacy of an IL-23 inhibitor in a bionaïve, moderate PsA phenotype, and the IL-23 inhibitor's potential role in managing patients with PsA.
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