Recent News
Read ArticleDr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from this past week on Rheumnow.com - including obesity, disappointing durability with GLP-1 drugs, AI diagnoses and worries about CV risk in ANCA-associated vasculitis.
JAMA: Review of Adult Rheumatoid Arthritis
Smolen, Kerschbaumer, Aletaha, and Robinson have published a comprehensive review article of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in JAMA, noting significant changes to our understanding and treatment guidelines.
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Obesity in Axial Spondyloarthritis: what are we missing beyond the scale?
Obesity in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is not a minor comorbidity. Beyond the scale, there are several factors that need to be considered with obesity in axSpA.
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Sobi Receives US FDA Fast Track Designation for pacritinib in VEXAS Syndrome. Pacritinib (Vonjo) is a kinase inhibitor (JAK2, FLT3) that is approved to treat adults with intermediate or high-risk myelofibrosis https://t.co/V7duJPyJpG https://t.co/N9rg30EA4W
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Meta-analysis 24 studies (3015 hidradenitis suppurativa pts) taking IL-17 inhibitor, IBD adverse events were rare, w/ no difference in IBD risk betw IL-17i & PBO (0.23% vs 0 of 2572 vs 1066 pts respectively) thru wk 16. The reported assocn of IL-17 inhibitors w/ IBD risk is https://t.co/kDwR5Fc1zI
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Difficult PsA is called ‘difficult-to-manage’ (D2M) or ‘treatment-refractory’ dz (TRD). Data from 5 Nordic PsA registries 14,362 ps, D/Cs of ≥2/≥3/≥4 b/tsDMARDs in 36%/18%/10%. Freq of D2M low 2%/3%/3%, & TRD was 1.2%/1.2%/0.8%. Female #s, depression, & opioids incr w/ # of https://t.co/FkQU5BVRn2
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
RCT 451 chronic LBP in general practice shows 8-wk telehealth mindfulness reduced pain intensity and interference at 6 months compared with usual care, BUT changes did not meet the prespecified mean 1-point MCID between groups. Is it worth doing? https://t.co/H4oYTeq1is https://t.co/cozq7gGnYO
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Obesity isn’t just a comorbidity—it can influence inflammation, disease activity and treatment response.
Join our second Tuesday Night Rheumatology webinar this month as leading experts explore the biology of fat and its impact on rheumatic disease.
Register: https://t.co/jsWungkcG6
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Osteoarthritis, Obesity and GLP-1s
https://t.co/SGnWksQBpT https://t.co/TPxM4aj7bd
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
QD Clinic: Obesity: Escalate or Reassess?
Dr. Mrinalini Dey, London, presents this QD Clinic as part of RheumNow's "The Obesity Imperative" presented in September 2026.
https://t.co/wt5N6RZmg6 https://t.co/3EyRa1WC9U
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Physician SURVEY> When prescribing a generic, where do you refer the Patient?
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
ACP Position Statements on the Ethics of AI in Medical Practice
Recently JAMA updated its guidance on artificial intelligence (AI) in medical publications. Now, the ACP has published a position paper regarding the use and ethical considerations for the use of AI in medical https://t.co/J6qgfI2Sgt
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Treating Obesity is Disease-Modifying (9.4.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow. New drugs approved, new drugs halted and some drugs out of control.
https://t.co/ojBOosSWMX https://t.co/K4DvUK24Pb
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
AI Diagnosing Rheumatic Disease?
MedPage Today
Prof. Valmed, a large language model (LLM) cleared by European regulators for medical diagnosis, outperformed human physicians for diagnosing rheumatologic conditions in terms of speed but not accuracy, a randomized trial showed.
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High BMI decreases the odds for MDA in PsA, esp w/ TNFi Rx (but not Inflx, IL-17i, IL-12/23i, IL-23i, JAKi). Longitudinal PsA cohort 1291 pts (mean BMI 29); Higher BMI independently assoc w/ signif. lower odds for MDA (OR 0.97), also female, age, smoking, FM & Xray damage. https://t.co/zAJ8Pmk1HY
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Denzel Washingtons plan for self improvement - great advice to anyone starting out, looking for direction. https://t.co/0HcLyDAfNP https://t.co/DaqObRNgLW
Links:
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Epic Cosmos study of GLP-1RA Rxs in 3.5 million children (8–11 yrs) - very few 0.6% recv a GLP-1RA (20,282 kids) - Rx went from 0.03% (2019) to 9.3% (2026-310-fold incr). More likely in older, girls, obese kids. Most GLP-1 kids had severe obesity (93.7 percent) https://t.co/JW6SXxJjA0
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Cohort analysis shows autoimmune rheum Dz (AIRD) pts who recv COVID vax w/ boosters & updates were 41%, 71%, and 69% less likely to have COVID-related hospitalization (vs no Vax). If only initial vaccine series (without booster/updated vaccine), risk reduction was 5.6%. (n= https://t.co/NdEKKWdOAy
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Physician SURVEY> When prescribing a generic, where do you refer the Patient?
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Leeds study of 44 patients idiopathic inflamm myopathy (IIM) pts Rx w/ rituximab showed a 70% response 4-6 mos post RTX. Responders had higher TIS (50·0 vs 17·5). Using highly sensitive flow cytometry, @ 2 wks responders had lower #s memory B cells & Plasmablasts. Is there a role https://t.co/HTxOIxkezs
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Video
From the Blog
Dr. Al Kim, St. Louis, discusses the effects of obesity on lupus activity, organ damage, complement levels and mTor activation.
Podcasts
Obesity Journal Club
Treating Obesity is Disease-Modifying (9.4.2026)
A Day in the Life of a Rheumatology APP: A Focus on Interstitial Lung Disease” (hosted by Amanda Mixon, PA-C)
DERM on RheumNow PODCAST (August 2026)
Therapeutic Updates
The Four Pillars of Weight Loss
RheumNow
Watch our 'Four Pillars of Weight Loss' series as part of this month's The Obesity Imperative campaign. Videos include: Introducing Weight Loss and Pharmacologic Treatment of Obesity.
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Label update: Structural damage progression in active PsA
Sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Medical Affairs
Listen to Dr. Catherine Bakewell’s review of clinical data from a recent label update.
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Poster Hall
Sponsored by AbbVie Medical Affairs + Health Impact
Real-World Predictors and Early Indicators for IBD in Patients With PsA
Rheumnow Survey
Have you ever prescribed a weight loss drug (e.g., tirzepatide, semaglutide) for your arthritis patient?
Daily Gem
Focus on strength and function, not thinness
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