Recent News
Xu et al. from Shanghai University have written an analysis of global lupus nephritis (LN) clinical trials and call for innovation.Read Article
RepurpSS-II: Hydroxychloroquine plus Leflunomide in Sjögren's
A small, pilot, phase 2b trial has shown that the combination of leflunomide and hydroxychloroquine (LEF+HCQ) was effective and safe in treating patients with active Sjögren's disease.
Read Article
BE BOLD Week 16 data - Bimekizumab vs. Risankizumab in PsA
UCB has released the Week 16 results from BE BOLD trial that will be presented at EULAR 2026 in London on Saturday, June 6. This head-to-head trial demonstrates that at week 16, bimekizumab (BKZ) yielded superior ACR50 https://t.co/VVBaNdWIuQ
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
The safe/right choice is H. Zoster. You never fully eradicate invasive fungal or NTM infections. HBV is too risky to again use TNFi again. After H.zoster is Rx,there is evidence its safe to restart TNFi without risk of recurrence. Vagal N. Stim is the mechanistically same as
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Retrospective Intl SSc study of MD & PT telangiectasia counts (TC) (0, 1–6, 7–15 or > 15) of face, forearms & hands. High TC correlated w/ PAH (AUC 0.824–0.875) & digital ulcers. Moderate agreement betw MD & Pt for face & forearms TC (kappa 0.648 & 0.605, p< 0.001) https://t.co/jtHgVABFiA
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Case-control study of 349 autoimmune (ARD) pts (SLE, RA, SSc) & serum assays for anti-neutrophil extracellular trap (aNET)Abs. aNET in 37% SLE assoc w/ APS (OR 3.4) & arterial thrombosis (OR 5.5). aNET in 40% RA assoc w/ ACPA+ (p=0.049) https://t.co/QwvmLAVmg7 https://t.co/VJ7JV5fcZE
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Best JAKi? Italian Observational BIRRA Cohort study of 170 #PsA pts Rx w/ UPA or TOFA found no significance in 6 mos (86 vs 78%) or 12 mos (68 v 60%) retention. Persistence lower in pts Concomitant or later csDMARDs. https://t.co/vtSrO9orh4
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Canada’s Drug Agency (CDA-AMC) has recommended Gazyva (obinutuzumab) for public reimbursement. This recommendation is for the treatment of adult patients with active lupus nephritis who are receiving standard therapy https://t.co/TC1MVAShdC https://t.co/flXVmLwGtW
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear."
- Mark Twain https://t.co/xyJqiV7biI
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
RHEUM Survey: After treating which infection can you safely resume anti-TNF therapy?
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) have been strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of lupus, as their primary product, type I interferon (IFN-I), drive systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE). A recent comprehensive review synthesizes the https://t.co/VaE295a2Ep
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Let me give you an example of where there is no gov intervention, and the impact on brand drug pricing.
When a brand manufacturer sells a drug to one of the big 3 drug distributors that control more than 90 pct of their market, those multi hundred billion dollar distributors
Mark Cuban @mcuban ( View Tweet)
A Practical Approach to Myositis-Specific Antibodies https://t.co/14qow6zhsD
Rheumatology update @aabdogafar ( View Tweet)
True or False: In a Japanese study of refractory neuropsychiatric SLE, rituximab led to significant improvement in the majority of patients treated. See if you got it right at https://t.co/3F1h89Qrtw https://t.co/vx0ILsZ3WF
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
NLRP3 inflammasome activation triggers PAD (2, 4) release from human neutrophils, increasing citrullination of intracellular proteins (CCPs) and driving the pathogenesis of #RA. Further proof: , PAD concentrations and PAD activity correlate with IL-1β.https://t.co/pRQy0ECG5d https://t.co/HExIhebJ4u
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
RHEUM Survey: After treating which infection can you safely resume anti-TNF therapy?
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
ABA versus HCQ in Palindromic Rheumatism
Palindromic rheumatism may develop rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and could be an at-risk population. A pilot trial compared abatacept (ABA) versus hydroxychloroquine and demonstrated ABA reduces RA development in a 2 year study. https://t.co/XPP7CSxGad
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Study of 305 newly Dx axSpA pts (age 38 yrs; 55% male, Dx delay 6yrs, 75% B27+). Clinical Dx, without Xray/imaging in 12%, 5% developed sacroiliitis during 8 yr F/U. r-axSpA mostly male w/ ^CRP https://t.co/zWJDRdBSWC https://t.co/nWFnEgp5Zf
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
– Winston Churchill
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Update on Multicentric Reticulohistiocytosis
Have you ever seen multicentric reticulohistiocytosis (MRH)? Don't worry, it's a rare non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis condition characterized by papulonodular skin lesions and symmetric erosive polyarthritis, and it has only been https://t.co/1VrT8HFmva
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
From the Blog
Podcasts
Quiz Talk (5.22.2026)-
Infectious Rheumatology (5.15.2026)
-
Influential Rheumatoid Factors(5/8/2026)
-
Great Lectures; Great Presentations
Therapeutic Updates
Expert insights on the 2024 ACR Guideline recommendations for lupus nephritis
Sponsored by Aurinia
Two experts in lupus care offer a balanced perspective on applying the updated ACR Guideline recommendations and the clinical nuances of managing lupus nephritis.
Read Post
Poster Hall
Sponsored by AbbVie Medical Affairs + Health Impact
