Recent News
Read ArticleDr. Jack Cush reviews the news, regulatory decisions and new journal articles.
Metanalysis of calcineurin inhib. in RA - 11 RCTs, 1793 RA pts. Cyclosporin (CSA( (RR 1.6 & Tacrolimus (TAC (RR 2.1) signif improved ACR20 responses. CSA was dose dependent, less so w/ TAC. Both require serum Creat. monitoring consistent increase in s-Cr https://t.co/OxNGYbupnt https://t.co/F08vDCMYtr
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2 RCTs of 699 children Tx in ER for acute limb injury compared 1 dose of oral acetaminophen or hydromorphone to ibuprofen - none significantly reduce self-reported pain scores at 60 minutes. Use of hydromorphone resulted in a 4-fold increase in adverse events. https://t.co/cqddDES9V0
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American Academy of Physician Associates is determined to change PA to mean 'physician associate' in USA. Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon have adopted it, but the AMA is opposed. This has become a legislative, financial and legal issue. https://t.co/u0tejo0lvn https://t.co/1VEbwpqlN8
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Rheumatic Immune-related Adverse Effects with Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy
A retrospective study of patients who developed rheumatic immune-related adverse events (R-irAEs) after receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) at two oncology centers in Spain suggests that early recognition can lead to effective management that allows continuation of cancer therapy.
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Managing Gout in CKD Patients
A current review article addressed the management of gout patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This full read review addresses the epidemiology, challenges, treatment decisions and outcomes.
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NEJM: Obinutuzumab in Active Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
A phase 3 trial of obinutuzumab, an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, showed potent B-cell depletion and clinical efficacy active systemic lupus erythematosus without evidence of nephritis.
https://t.co/b5qHBotxbI https://t.co/dqzZodOokq
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Data from the KEEPsAKE 1 trial in bio-naive patients with PsA Dr. Wells and Dr. Singla share 5-year safety and efficacy data of an IL–23 inhibitor and their thoughts on using it to manage PsA. Sponsored by AbbVie Medical Affairs + Health Impact. https://t.co/xoPdYAof7m https://t.co/ycqMod2qLN
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Prebiotic fibre improves knee OA. Study of 117 older adults w/ KOA Rx w/ 6wks of inulin (fibre) or Physiotherapy exercise (PSE) or both vs PBO. Both Inulin & PSE signif improved pain & PSE vs PBO ( −1.11 to -2.5; p <0.045); inulin also improved pain sensitivity & grip strength https://t.co/Efic4mru1i
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Long-Term Hydroxychloroquine Retinopathy Risk
About one in 18 patients taking hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for 15 years develop retinal damage, a new meta-analysis indicated.
https://t.co/Gp6o0FfEYA https://t.co/TjLNXl229v
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AI model was superior in diagnosing Acromegaly from dorsal hand photographs - w. sensitivity 0.89, specificity 0.91, PPV 0.88, NPV 0.93, F1-score of 0.89, AUC 0.96, outperforming specialists, Study of 716 pts (317 acromegaly; 399 controls) & 11480 images, from 15 Japanese https://t.co/8RM4wf8vGi
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Basic, full-read overview of "JAK inhibitors: risks and safety principles" from the Pharmaceutical Journal. Addresses MOA, indications, warnings, monitoring, adverse effects, interactions, Serious AEs, vaccination and best practices. https://t.co/qrqeu1CzRg https://t.co/7qIszLwUrf
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b/ts-DMARDs Do Not Arrest Bone Loss in RA
In RA, the goal is to control or arrest inflammation such that articular and bony damage is halted. While we have many effective therapies, it is not clear that biologic or targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) can prevent or improve osteoporosis outcomes in RA. A current real-world study showed that 1 year of b/tsDMARDs use did not arrest osteoporosis progression.
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ACR Weighs in on APP Loans and Professional Degrees
ACR
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) recently joined with 16 other healthcare organizations to submit comments to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) in response to its proposal to exclude nurses, physician assistants, physical therapists, and social workers, among other crucial healthcare professionals, from the definition of “professional degree” for federal student loan purposes.
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UCB announced topline results of the BE-BOLD head-to-head study where bimekizumab (IL-17i) was superior to risankizumab (IL-23i) study; 553 active PsA in achieving an ACR50 response at 16 weeks. Enrolled PsA pts were either bilogic naïve or who had previous exposure to 1 TNFi
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TYK2 Inhibitor Deucravacitinib FDA Approved for Psoriatic Arthritis
On Friday, March 6th, the FDA approved deucravacitinib (Sotyktu) for the treatment of adults with active PsA based on the results of the pivotal Phase 3 POETYK PsA-1 and POETYK PsA-2 clinical trials. https://t.co/a6rmortnoS
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https://t.co/4UQlqwujiR 2026 — On Demand
Catch the sessions everyone in rheumatology is talking about:
• RA advances
• Psoriatic arthritis decisions
• Spondyloarthritis updates
• Autoimmune disease highlights
• Vasculitis insights
Full recordings + slides available now. https://t.co/wGrptPBYNu
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Swiss study of 1st TNFi efficacy in 3324 axial spondy (axSpA) (≤1 yr=very early Dz,441; 1-2 yrs =early axSpA, 218; >2 yrs=establi axSpA, 2575). After adjusting for age/sex, B27, etc, no signif. difference seen when TNFi started regarding later outcomes: TNFi retention, or ASDAS https://t.co/1EaP8UOsVt
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Korean National Insurance claims study (2010–2023) of treatment persistence of IL-17i vs TNFi (IL-17i: 375; TNFi: 1285) in 1660 axSpA pts found equal Tx durations. However, primary nonresponse D/C was significantly higher w/ TNFi vs IL-17i (adj HR 1.54 to 2.11) https://t.co/2CF4OCPT6z
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Annual fibromyalgia survey (FIRST) in axSpA pts in the DESIR cohort. FM was found in 22% (& assoc w/ less HLA-B27+ & XRay sacroiliitis, equal MRI SI a& ^ CRP. FM/AxSpA had less self-reported Dz activity, QOL, more disability & more likely to Rx w/ TNFi (64% vs 41%), but resp https://t.co/Rf5RGIanAP
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
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From the Blog
Podcasts
Poets Know It (3.13.2026)-
UBER Rheumatology Ride (3.6.2026)
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UBER Rheumatology Ride (3.6.2026)
Early Decisions and Impact: Risankizumab in Bio-Naive Patients With PsA Sponsored by AbbVie Medical Affairs + Health Impact
Therapeutic Updates
5-Year Results of an IL-23 Inhibitor in Patients With PsA
Sponsored by AbbVie Medical Affairs + Health Impact
Dr. Alvin Wells and Dr. Shikha Singla share their clinical perspectives on using an IL–23 inhibitor to manage patients with PsA throughout their treatment journey in the context of 5-year data from the KEEPsAKE trial program.
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Poster Hall
