Recent News
In 2024, the Canadian Rheumatology Association (CMA) and the Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada (SPARCC) published a comprehensive set of 56 treatment recommendations for the management of axial spondyloarthritis. This first update is focused on the reassessment of IL-17i recommendations.Read Article
1/3 of American adults have poor sleep. New survey from Amer. Academy Sleep Medicine shows 45% of pts never discuss sleep issues with their doctors; only 15% discussed it with a sleep specialist. https://t.co/uvlHjpuVs8 https://t.co/fDOtp9rxOn
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
ILD in RA - Recent Advances. Dr. Jeffrey Sparks
ILD in RA – Dr. Jeffrey Sparks
In this https://t.co/4UQlqwujiR 2026 podcast, Dr. Jeffrey Sparks reviews the latest advances shaping diagnosis and management of ILD in RA.
🎧 Listen here: https://t.co/R3hWpqxo8q
#Rheumatology #ILD https://t.co/XsA6hiiTrd
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Update on Primary CNS Angiitis
The Journal of Neurology has posted a review and update of Primary CNS vasculitis (PCNSV), also termed primary angiitis of the CNS (PACNS). PCNSV is rare, potentially fatal, and highly treatable, making timely recognition and accurate diagnosis https://t.co/cjGX1ig8Lp
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Open label RCT in 116 DMARD-naïve #RA pts Rx w/ tofacitinib or MTX (after 1 IM steroid injx). @3 mos, TOFA signif better than MTX for >50% SDAI improv(94 v 75%), CDAI[14.5 v 7.3), DAS28-CRP[1.7 v 1.2] https://t.co/smOuLlVFyX https://t.co/xGvbiu62OB
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Japanese ANSWER study Rx 7268 RA pts initiating bDMARDs or JAKi by orthos or Rheums. Vs Rheums, Ortho Rx RA had longer Dz duration, more seropositivity, functional impairment, less comorbidity, more MTX/GC/TNFi, less AE D/Cs - responses & outcomes were similar https://t.co/1ryA8C2p1b
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
What's it like to have RA? MARY: "I can manage the pain, the exhaustion, and side effects of the meds. The hard part is grief. I grieve for me, the adventurer that decided what she wanted and boldly went after it, no matter what. I trusted myself to handle whatever came. Now https://t.co/GakWIy2XCt
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
TENS Efficacy in Fibromyalgia
A randomized clinical trial of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in fibromyalgia showed meaningful improvement in pain for 6 months when combined with physical therapy (PT).
https://t.co/Gm81FWoTQN https://t.co/2gq2cDFUh7
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Brepocitinib in Dermatomyositis
The NEJM reports that brepocitinib, an oral TYK2–JAK1 inhibitor, was studied in a phase 3 trial of refractory dermatomyositis (DM) patients and shown to have significant benefits at the higher dose.
https://t.co/gYLP5artRZ https://t.co/PHYXEzzM2j
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
"When there are conflicting diagnostic possibilities, trust your excellent history and physical examination more than laboratory testing and imaging."
- Arthur Weinstein, MD
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
FDA has issued a drug safety warning for avacopan (Tavneos), dentifying 76 cases of drug-induced liver injury, including 7 cases of rare vanishing bile duct syndrome (VBDS). There were 8 deaths https://t.co/2GkYNg1Apn https://t.co/fW2qafKCew
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Myocarditis causes 17,000 deaths/Yr worldwide. Causes include A) iatrogenic/autoimmune: checkpoint inhibitors & gene therapy; B) High income countries: parvo B19, herpesvirus 6; C) low income: dengue, HIV, malaria and Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas disease) https://t.co/0FjPyXygpz https://t.co/04J23AiqtK
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Target trial emulation: biologics or JAK vs RTX in RA-ILD -- abatacept (n=694), JAKi (156), IL-6i (389), or TNFi (734), PS-matched =# RTX; no significant differences (HR 0.74-1.09 NS) in outcomes of resp hosp, lung transplant & death. But ABA (HR 0.84) & JAKi (HR 0.62) had less https://t.co/c9IVwQYwMN
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
What's it like to have RA? LISA: "It only took me three short years to go from rock climbing to a power wheel chair and that stage of the disease was frightening and painful and you feel hopeless and as if your life plan is being stolen from you. Once I was able to start https://t.co/d49htc8k4m
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
What’s New PsA? (4.3.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and major articles from this week, including FDA safety warnings, reports from AAD, PsA trials.
Read Article
Large pharmaceutical companies reduced their workforces by more than 22,000 employees in 2025. Among 17 largest companies , only five logged a head count increase in 2025 https://t.co/VdtlUaF4Q3 https://t.co/2xsCs9O1Tw
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Retrospective study of 1st SLE pregnancies from LUNA Registry. Fetal loss was associated w/ aPL (OR 2.46) & pulse steroids (2.46), but not w/ SSA Abs (1.32). 247 pregs, 194 live births, 53 fetal loss. Ro+ vs Ro- no difference in live births or preterm births https://t.co/bsMMvVyffw
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
What's it like to have #RA? RICHARD: "There were days that I couldn’t mask the pain or hide the limp..So I tried to deny and hide the disease. I would always go up and down stairs when no one was looking. I got up extra early so no one could see me walk like an old man to the https://t.co/krHn4yoRYd
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
5 Retrospective cohorts of PM/DM pts showed IIM (myositis) had signif higher risks of IIM patients HTN w/ pregnancy (OR 2.73), & C-section (OR 2.03). Also more preterm birth (3.7), SGA/IUGR (1.9) https://t.co/w6qymR0I2w https://t.co/ovtwdleRfE
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
A new review of the GLP-1 receptor drugs @NEJM
https://t.co/PK03jApZWB
surprisingly, the word inflammation only appears once, in this diagram https://t.co/1PeBakBAQb
Eric Topol @EricTopol ( View Tweet)
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.”
Read Post
Podcasts
Whats New PsA? (4.3.2026)
PsA GRAPPA Domains- Outcomes With a JAKi-
Moral Distress (3.27.2026)
DERM on RheumNow Podcast (March 2026)
Therapeutic Updates
PsA GRAPPA domains: Outcomes With a JAKi
Sponsored by AbbVie Medical Affairs + Health Impact
Dr. Schwartzman and Dr. Ruderman discuss how PsA disease activity across GRAPPA domains may guide treatment decisions, sharing both the evidence for and their experience with a JAKi across domains.
Read Post
Poster Hall
