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Read ArticleDay 3 was an interesting mix of posters, oral presentations, and review sessions on many practical subjects like osteoarthritis, large vessel vasculitis, systemic sclerosis, and pregnancy. Here are a few of my recommended abstracts from Friday at EULAR 2026.
5 years since Patient ID001: Progress on CAR-T Therapy in RMD
Five years on, are we closer to licensing of the first CAR-T therapy in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMD)?
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Biologic Class Determines PsA Risk in Psoriasis
At EULAR 2026, Dr Nikolaos Kougkas presented data from a unique real-world cohort built within joint dermatology–rheumatology university centers, following 394 patients with psoriasis on bDMARDs for up to 17 years. We sat down with Dr Kougkas to unpack the methodology, challenge the results, and draw out the clinical implications for everyday practice.
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Strike First: TNFi vs. Step-Up Therapy in Early Peripheral SpA
The approach to the treatment of peripheral SpA has been the same for a long time. The guidelines recommend starting with NSAIDs, escalate to conventional synthetic DMARDs, typically sulfasalazine or methotrexate and reserve biologics for patients who fail those. According to a new phase 3 trial presented at EULAR 2026, there may be a different way to approach this.
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Beyond the Scale: Do GLP-1RAs Offer More Than Weight Loss in PsA?
Over 70% of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) struggle with excess weight, amplifying synovio-entheseal inflammation and blunting biologic response.
https://t.co/pAIXkdazci https://t.co/vQTn3BWv2r
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
CT imaging in RA
Body composition changes beyond BMI
489 RA vs 397 ctrl
RA asso w/
-increased subcutaneous fat
-increased intermuscular adipose tissue -poorer muscle quality
Looks like it represent “hidden obesity” with more by fat redistribution and myosteatosis
#OP0348
Aurelie Najm @AurelieRheumo ( View Tweet)
And now does MRI do better than US at predicting RA progression in at risk pts?
Short answer: No likely too sensitive!
130 anti-CCP+ symptomatic pts
36.9% progressed
BL US positivity predicted progression HR 2.8
MRI showed prevalence of subclinical disease synovitis >80%
Aurelie Najm @AurelieRheumo ( View Tweet)
Do probiotics help in #PsA? First RCT (MEDIPSA) says no. Multispecies probiotic vs placebo in 66 pts: 43% vs 65% achieved low disease activity at wk 12 (p=0.167). Gut-joint axis intriguing, but probiotics not the answer yet. @RheumNow #EULAR2026 POS0290
Jiha Lee @JihaRheum ( View Tweet)
"It takes about a million dollars to get one AI algorithm approved"
So even after creating an Ai solution, its difficult to actually be able to use it in rheumatology.
@RheumNow #EULAR2026 https://t.co/yX6cT19Sdd
Bella Mehta @bella_mehta ( View Tweet)
Detecting subclinica tenosynovitis in pts at risk for RA: who does it better US or DixonMRI?
65 pts RA CSA, US detected only ~23% of cases identified by Dixon
US misses most! But are they “real” tenosynovitis?
MRI (5-min, no contrast) higher sens
US higher spe
Shall we do https://t.co/stsMRdj9eY
Aurelie Najm @AurelieRheumo ( View Tweet)
What does remission really mean to patients with #PsA? The RemiPPsA international qualitative study asked 123 patients across 11 countries. Pain-free + ability to resume daily life topped the list, not just composite scores. #EULAR2026 @RheumNow, POS0294 https://t.co/mEGpkewuTX
Jiha Lee @JihaRheum ( View Tweet)
#EULAR2026 POS0172 #Lupus arthritis is the most common domain in RCTs but SLEDAI-MSK or BILAG-MSK isn’t satisfactory. Look out for the role out of LAMDA once externally validated using independent trial datasets. 4 candidates: SJC28, ESR, VAS Phy MSK, & VAS Pa Pain @RheumNow https://t.co/QJ51ETLSSN
Md Yuzaiful Md Yusof @Yuz6Yusof ( View Tweet)
Emapalumab in MAS secondary to stills disease
39 pts, median age 12, 2 pooled prospective, open label, single arm studies.
Endpoint complete resolution at week 8-. Around 60% and partial resolution nearly 100%
67% had concomitant anakinra
@RheumNow ##EULAR2026 #EULARBest https://t.co/sGm43C3LfH
Links:
Bella Mehta @bella_mehta ( View Tweet)
Lung US for RA-ILD screening
Comparison with diagnostic scores
147 RA pts (68 ILD on HRCT)
Asymptomatic cohort
Sens 95.4% Spe 77.7%
Risk scores alone performed poorly.
Combining US + risk scores boosted sensitivity to 100% → promising low-cost screening tool alongside HRCT. https://t.co/7C4zClaxry
Aurelie Najm @AurelieRheumo ( View Tweet)
Can AI read 20 years of RA X-rays?
And how much faster/better than us?
20 years ESPOIR cohort 7500+ joints
RADAR algorithm
94–95% accuracy compared with expert readers
99% spe 93% sens
#OP0344 #EULAR2026 @RheumNow https://t.co/8hFHCY4SaY
Aurelie Najm @AurelieRheumo ( View Tweet)
DAY 3 Recap: EULAR 2026 Highlights https://t.co/ugmvSBoOzO
Links:
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Diet as a DMARD? The Evidence Is Still Hard to Swallow
Dietary interventions are rarely taken as seriously as pharmacological therapies in rheumatology. Yet patients ask about them constantly, and an increasing number of studies suggest that nutrition may influence disease https://t.co/BLrr3CNZMg
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Can AI spot RA inflammation from a thermal hand scan?
Cohort 100 RA pts
AI model analysing thermal images detected US PD+ wrist inflammation AUC 0.87
Main features wrist temperature & heat-pattern
With all due validation could this be the next mass screening tool for RA? https://t.co/2AzXj5yQJI
Aurelie Najm @AurelieRheumo ( View Tweet)
No big surprise here, deucravacitinib does as well without MTX
Pooled analysis of 52wk data of POETYK PSA
Same ACR20/50/70 and MDA response profiles also similar safety profiles
#POS0288 #EULAR2026 @RheumNow https://t.co/XqLfZstRuS
Aurelie Najm @AurelieRheumo ( View Tweet)
A biomarker for CV disease in RA?
Anti-CXCR3 antibodies asso w/ atherosclerosis
Confirmed in a validation cohort
Adding Ab profile to the mSCORE increases
AUC from 0.6 to 0.9
Sens from 30 to 69%
How does it compare with other ways of detecting atherosclerosis?
#POS0899 https://t.co/O7bsLrVyzo
Links:
Aurelie Najm @AurelieRheumo ( View Tweet)
Video
From the Blog
Podcasts
EULAR 2026 Daily Podcast Day 3a
day3recap-
EULAR 2026 Daily Podcast Day 2c
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EULAR 2026 Daily Podcast Day 2b
Therapeutic Updates
Psoriatic arthritis and overweight or obesity
Sponsored by Lilly Medical Affairs
Dr. Merola presenting the results from TOGETHER‑PsA, a phase 3b trial evaluating the concomitant use of an IL‑17A antagonist and an incretin receptor agonist in adults with psoriatic arthritis and overweight or obesity.
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Poster Hall
Sponsored by AbbVie Medical Affairs + Health Impact
