When a patient fails a drug, we tend to consider what will be the next drug. Most of our clinics have patients on their second or third advanced therapy. Drug failure has become more common, not less. A question that we too rarely write in the notes is why did the last drug fail?

Which of our RA patients will develop interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD), and how can we better identify these patients? In abstract #2884 at 2026 ACR Convergence, Dr. Jeffrey Sparks presented findings from ANCHOR-RA trial, a large prospective cross-sectional study evaluating risk factors for ILD in at-risk patients with RA without a known diagnosis. The goal was to identify the clinical characteristics that can guide screening for RA-ILD.

Several abstracts presented at ACR 2026 provide new insights into the potential benefits of early biologic treatment in SLE.

The first multicenter series of pregnancies after CAR T-cell therapy for autoimmune disease reports 8 healthy births and no maternal flares. It is the first dataset of its kind, and the numbers are small.

Pain, fatigue and poor sleep are common concerns for people living with RA. In women approaching or experiencing menopause, joint and muscle pain, mood changes and sleep difficulties are recognised menopause-associated symptoms. A study from Mayo Clinic at this year’s ACR Convergence examines menopause symptom burden in women with and without RA.