Recent News

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Predicting and Preventing Psoriatic Arthritis Psoriatic arthritis is often underdiagnosed in those with psoriasis (PsO), leading to diagnostic delays an undertreatment. While certain factors in PsO portend a future PsA risk, a predictive profile and early intervention algorithm https://t.co/yvJr293MHs
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Can DMARD Doses Be Safely Reduced for RA Patients?

MedPage Today

Close to 90% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) well controlled on targeted therapies were able to take 50% dosage reductions without experiencing worsened disease activity in a randomized trial, South Korean researchers said.

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Agenx announced it will discontinue its phase 3 UNITY study -efgartigimod SC in adults with mod-to-severe Sjögren's dz, based on not meeting its primary endpoint (clinESSDAIwk 48) & rec from DSMB. ""Sjögren's Disease is one of the most heterogeneous and complicated diseases in https://t.co/fmuzxvaCGx
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POETYK PsA-1 - Efficacy and Safety of Deucravacitinib in Psoriatic Arthritis van der Heijde et al have published the results of the phase 3 POETYK PsA-1 trial demonstrating that deucravacitinib was superior to placebo in clinical responses, patient-reported outcomes, and https://t.co/ovASDqLeWK
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EBR Journal Club: Brepocitinib in Dermatomyositis (VALOR) The EBR Journal Club Companion applies my adapted version of the JAMA approach to critical appraisal. Each review covers four domains: Does this apply to my patients? What is the risk of bias? How great are the benefits https://t.co/KUB7fpmdbf
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Exercise Can Improve Pain A pooled meta-analyses (n=197,392) shows that exercise reduced pain versus control immediately after the intervention (SMD −0.59; 95% CI −0.65 to −0.53; P<0.001). The benefit held across musculoskeletal, inflammatory, neurologic and cancer pain, and https://t.co/rbZlyfrCOW
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Predicting and Preventing Psoriatic Arthritis

Jack Cush, MD

Psoriatic arthritis is often underdiagnosed in those with psoriasis (PsO), leading to diagnostic delays an undertreatment. While certain factors in PsO portend a future PsA risk, a predictive profile and early intervention algorithm do not exist.
Dr. John Cush Tweet
@RheumNow
Retrospective real world avacopan (AVCP) safety data from UK vasculitis center looked at AAV pts (RTX or CTX) rx w/ AVCP (n 133) or not AVCP (n 458). @1 yr AVCP had nonsignif incr in ALT >2xULN (15.8% v 11.4%) or >3xULN (11.3% v 6.3%; P 0.064) No diff in Alk phos, Bili, Hy's law https://t.co/ZZhpxdKhQl
Dr. John Cush Tweet
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43 biopsy-proven Giant cell arteritis in Black Caribbeans - GCA incidence rate 1.76/100K pY (1/2 rate of whites) w/ 4 fold incr betw 1993 & 2014. Mean Age 76; F:M ratio 4.4. Initial Sxs HA (65%), jaw claud (33%), scalp tender (37%), anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (26%) & PMR https://t.co/lHAeNdOqbj
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Triple Hormone Receptor Agonist for Treatment of Obesity and Knee Osteoarthritis The NEJM reports that retatrutide, an investigational incretin agent, was shown to yield up to 25% weight reduction, with subanalyses also showing reduced pain with knee osteoarthritis, and less https://t.co/18DM2UL6vB
Dr. John Cush Tweet
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UK longitudinal study 46 adult PsA pts w/ BMI ≥25 showed use of digital wt. & Dz app (vs no app) improved weight loss (− 1.55 vs − 0.18 kg), dz activity by CPDAI (p < 0.001), esp w/ arthritis (p 0.017) & enthesitis (p  0.034) domains. Weight loss correlated w/ dz activity https://t.co/Y9zVyPmsNl
Dr. John Cush Tweet
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T-cell engager blinatumomab (CD3xCD19 TCE) was used for Deep B-cell depletion in 15 resistant RA pts (MDR-RA). @wk 12 9/15 CDAI LDA, 3/15 CDAI remission. Synovial B cells were depleted (4 of 5 biopsies) but not in lymph nodes. Later, 14/15 flared. No ICANs, 3/15 w/ CRS (gr 1) https://t.co/ddLb7lIHka

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From the Blog

rheumthought

Treatment for Obesity and Inflammation, but at what Cost?

Jonathan Kay, MD
Kay RT cover still

The costs of GLP-1 agonists must come down in order to make these treatments available to the people who need them - including many people with rheumatologic diseases. 

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Podcasts

  • Don’t Hold the JAK (10.9.2026)
  • PsA Beyond the Joints: Rheum, Derm, and Gastro Perspectives
  • Remission – Believe it or Not (10.2.2026)
  • The Four Pillars of Weight Loss Part 4
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Therapeutic Updates

Clinical dilemmas in axSpA and PsA

Sponsored by UCB
UCB October RX Update
Explore some of the challenges rheumatologists face in clinical practice, including expert perspectives from UCB's Annual International Immunology Summit.
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PsA Beyond the Joints: Rheum, Derm, and Gastro Perspectives

Sponsored by AbbVie Medical Affairs + Health Impact
AbbVie October RX Update
Dr. Saakshi Khattri hosts dermatologist Dr. Ahmad Amin and gastroenterologist Dr. Joshua Steinberg to discuss multidisciplinary care in PsA and other immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Learn how signals in the skin and gut may prompt the need for collaboration across specialties to support better patient outcomes that extend beyond the joints.
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Obesity – Inflammation – PsA

Sponsored by Lilly Medical Affairs
Lilly October
Learn about the inflammatory intersection between Psoriatic Arthritis and Obesity, and why adiposity is more than a comorbidity.
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