Recent News
Read ArticleAnnals of Internal Medicine has published a Japanese administrative claims database study showing that, compared with oral bisphosphonates (BIS), denosumab (DEN) lowered fracture risk by 45%, but increased the risk for major adverse cardiac events (MACE) by 36%.
Increased Mortality In Arthritis Patients with COPD
EurekAlert!
People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and arthritis have a higher risk of death than people with arthritis who do not have COPD, according to a new study. The study is published in the January 2025 issue of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation, a peer-reviewed, open-access journal.
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The European Commission (EC) has approved Celltrion’s Avtozma (CT-P47), a biosimilar referencing Roche’s RoActemra (tocilizumab). https://t.co/ukMDwtgUhw https://t.co/htDVWKbu3n
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Congratulations to Dr. Mehmet Hocaoglu (University of Pittsburgh) on being awarded a 2024 Rheumatoid Arthritis Research Program grant to investigate the unique and shared risk factors between patients with preclinical rheumatoid arthritis and patients with RA.… https://t.co/eF4yb3Hxsj https://t.co/MLNWKFiCiU
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Meta-analysis shows the combination therapy bDMARD with MTX in #PsA pts yields better bDMARDs drug survival, especially with TNFi. 20 observational studies, 30,634 PsA pts. Insufficient data for non-TNFi bDMARDs. But adding MTX to bDMARDs had better TNFi survival (HR=0.79… https://t.co/3Y2cOzt3TQ https://t.co/6f8yiwMqAa
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Metanalysis of cancer risk w/ abatacept vs placebo or TNFi in #RA. (18 RCTs, 10 LTE, 15 535 PYs ABA exposure) show no signif increase in malignancy for ABA vs PBO (IRR 0.58) or TNFi (IRR 0.72). Observational data ABA > other b/tsDMARDs (IRR 1.21; 1.15–1.28), but not csDMARDs… https://t.co/2aBfwyKv0e https://t.co/zUmaHZN3mR
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
DANBIO registry study - 21 982 Rx Starts, 96 475 PYs & 1423 cancers identified. Overall cancer risk w/in tocilizumab/sarilumab, abatacept or rituximab were not signif increased (HRs ranged from 0.7 to 1.1) compared with TNFi & with bDMARD-naïve real world RA pts… https://t.co/fPLFlWoQsw https://t.co/4KlGnjfNKm
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Global burden of #OA among postmenopausal women continues to escalate. From1990 to 2021, was > 1.3-fold increases in OA incidence, prevalence, DALYs. Knee OA has heaviest burden; hip OA least. Higher BMI signif influences the burden of OA https://t.co/L6qd7ISFF8 https://t.co/1SkNJWxm54
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
BMS announced new data from Phase 3 POETYK PsA-2 trial - Sotyktu (deucravacitinib)vs apremilast vs PBO in PsA w/ higher ACR20 vs PBO at Week 16 (54% vs 39%). AEs led to discontinuation in 1.3% (PBO), 2.2% (Deuc) and 10.5% (apremilast). https://t.co/NAa2JigkZN https://t.co/mvaQXfjShd
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Are Combination Biologics Safe?
Although package inserts commonly warn against combining the use of biologic or targeted therapies, there is growing interest in such combination therapy for patients with problematic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID).
Long-Term Use of NSAIDs Linked to Lower Dementia Risk
MedPage Today
Long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was tied to a decreased risk of dementia, data from the prospective Rotterdam Study showed.
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Polypharmacy (>=5Rx) studied in 81 RA & 30 SLE pts. Polypharmacy incr at 2 yrs ~44% to ~73%. Med adherence >85%. Polypharmacy NOT assoc w/ Dz activity in SLE, but in RA did correlate w/ better DAS28CRP score at one year https://t.co/Jw05DIrBym https://t.co/pLIoDvPj8i
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Metanalysis of 376 studies, 347 468 pts w/ chronic pain (mean 51yrs; 70%F) finds ~40% had clinically significant depression and anxiety (more common in Women, younger people, pts w nociplastic pain). Depression common in FM (54%) & OA/RA (~28%). https://t.co/s1tcgC3y7k https://t.co/NCxkOA82jD
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
MMWR: Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Mortality in the United States
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive lung disease characterized by scarring and worsening lung function, has a poor prognosis. An estimated 21% of IPF deaths might be attributable to occupational… https://t.co/FQpotKrgzR https://t.co/hruzwcD1E6
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
ED Utilization by Psoriatic and Spondyloarthritis Patients
A cohort analysis of ambulatory ED utilization by patients with PsA and r-axSpA demonstrated significant use for less urgent and nonurgent health issues, particularly in rural settings.
https://t.co/Pl9k3GN0mp https://t.co/kI1rOue9ws
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Intraarticular Steroids in OA Lowers Need for Pain Meds
Is it possible that intra-articular corticosteroid injections for osteoarthritis might affect the use of opioids?
https://t.co/qkTN7CpuMZ https://t.co/npuT88Sj2m
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Hydroxychloroquine and Sjögren's - despite widespread use, there is not good data showing HCQ efficacy in Sjogrens. Although safe and may lower Ig levels - 3 RCTs found no clinical benefit, but retrospective & open-label studies did https://t.co/8l1gZoKqFA https://t.co/JNGmpnNMHx
Links:
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Early Hydroxychloroquine Slows Cutaneous Lupus Progression
A prospective study of patients with limited cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) shows that early introduction of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) may prevent progression to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).… https://t.co/evsvf2GQiL https://t.co/J0Zl35FEHz
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Bimekizumab efficacy and safety in patients with psoriatic arthritis who had skin and nail psoriasis at baseline: Up to 2-year results from two phase 3 studies
https://t.co/QGdQtp3Mbe
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
- Margaret Mead
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Full read review of Hydryoxychloroquine -its pharmacology, MOA (eg, blocking TLR 7 & 9), Dz specific efficacy and adverse effects https://t.co/N7XVbfnsfi https://t.co/yjKwcfugOJ
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
From the blog
The effects on rheumatologists and their patients living in Ukraine largely have been unseen by the world. At ACR Convergence 2024, I met Dr. Marta Dzhus who practices at St. Michael's Clinical Hospital in Kyiv; she shared her story with me about the humanitarian crisis in rheumatologic care in Ukraine because of the ongoing war. Here is an excerpt of our conversation.
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Podcasts
EXXELERATE: New Thoughts on High RF Titer Sponsored by: UCB
Hydroxychloro-King (3.7.2025)-
Treatment goals for RA- Is it time to transition to MOAs? Sponsored by AbbVie Medical Affairs
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Opioid Deaths are Down (2.28.2025)
Therapeutic Updates
Treatment goals for RA: Is it time to transition MOAs?
Sponsored by AbbVie Medical Affairs + Health Impact
Rheumatologists Dr. Christina Charles-Schoeman and Dr. Manish Jain discuss their approaches to setting and pursuing treatment goals for patients with poorly controlled RA after TNFis
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EXXELERATE: New Thoughts on High RF Titer
Sponsored by: UCB
Two leading rheumatologists share insights into why RF levels are important to consider when identifying treatment options for patients with RA.
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Poster Hall
