Drug Monitoring Ineffective with Infliximab Treatment

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The predictive value of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) while on biologics is debateable; gastroenterology routinely relies on TDM, while rheumatologists do not.

Childhood Lupus May Hamper Adult Careers

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Long-term outcomes of kids with childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) are uncommon, but this cSLE cohort analysis suggests that SLE significantly impacts their future education, vocation, and employment as they reach adulthood.

Results Disappoint for Fecal Transplant in Arthritis

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Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) showed disappointing results among patients with active psoriatic arthritis, a small randomized trial found.

Higher Cardiovascular Risks with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

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The Journal of the American College of Cardiology has published the results of a study showing that patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have an increased risk of heart failure (HF) and other long-term cardiovascular outcomes. 

Predictors of Methotrexate Toxicity

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A metanalysis showed that while adverse events (AEs) are common when methotrexate is used in rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory arthritis patients, serious AEs ranged from 2.1 to 9.5% and drug discontinuations ranged from 6.7% to 15.5%, mostly due to gastrointestinal events. 

Seven Year Delay in Diagnosing Spondyloarthritis

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A large patient cohort study suggests that the mean diagnostic delay (DD) in European axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) patients is 7.4 years, moreso in women and younger patients.

Tofacitinib in Ankylosing Spondylitis

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A phase III trial assessing the efficacy and safety of tofacitinib in adults with with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS) shows that JAK inhibitiion was superior to placebo in a 48 week study.

Psoriatic Pregnancies Pose Risks to the Mother, Not Child

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A metanalysis of pregnancy outcomes in women with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis finds an excess risk of adverse maternal events, but not adverse neonatal events.

This systematic review included 16 studies meeting inclusion criteria. 

Dual IL-17 Targeting is Effective but has More Candidiasis

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Bimekizumab (BIM) is a monoclonal antibody that targets both interleukin-17A and interleukin-17F, which as a biologic target has worked well in the management of psoriatic disease. The current issue of the NEJM has two reports wherein BIM was shown to be more effective than secukinumab and adalimumab in treating patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis; however, safety concerns arise. 

Little Effect with Multimodal Treatment of CMC1 Osteoarthritis

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A randomized clinical trial of patients with CMC1 osteoarthritis shows modest benefits when a combination of conservative treatments (education, splinting, hand exercises, 1% diclofenac sodium gel) was used compared to education alone. While there were small to medium benefits with regard to hand function, there was no benefit in pain outcomes. 

Golimumab Effective in non-radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis

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The GO-AHEAD study was designed to assess the long-term efficacy and safety of golimumab (GLM) in non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA).  After the 16-week, placebo [PBO]-controlled double-blind phase, 189/198 (95.5%) entered the long-term extension (OLE) for 36 weeks wherein G

Lupus Activity Affects Mortality

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Each one-unit increase on a disease activity score during the first year after enrollment into a systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) cohort was associated with a significant increased risk for death and organ damage during subsequent follow-up, researchers reported.

RheumNow Podcast – Coconspirators: RA and Lung Disease

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews and discusses more than a dozen news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.

Diagnostic Delay in Spondyloarthritis

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Literature review and metanalysis of many studies suggests that significant delay to diagnosis in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) exist, are longer than other rheumatic diseases and have not changed over time.

Increased Methotrexate Liver Disease in Psoriasis

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A Danish cohort study examined the risk of methotrexate related liver disease risk in patients with psoriasis (PsO)and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and found that compared to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic patients had up to a 3 fold higher risk of liver disease. 

BSRBR: Demyelinating Disease Following Anti-TNFα Therapy

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Analysis of patients receiving anti–tumor necrosis factor α (TNFi) therapy in the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register (BSRBR) shows that the risk of demyelination is rare but is marginally increased by taking TNFi therapy. 

Increased Risk of COPD in ACPA+ Pre-RA Patients

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The lung and its pathology is uniquely tied to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and its pathogenesis.  A new study shows that elevation of anti–citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) before diagnosis of RA increases the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD

New Side Effect From mRNA COVID Vaccines?

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Herpes zoster reactivation -- a.k.a. shingles -- following COVID-19 vaccination in six patients with comorbid autoimmune/inflammatory diseases may be a new adverse event associated with the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine, suggested a new report.

Broadalumab Efficacy in Axial Spondyloarthritis

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Broadalumab (Siliq), an anti-interleukin-17 receptor A monoclonal antibody, is currently FDA- approved for use in adults with plaque psoriasis; but a recent trial shows it to be effective in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).

Autoimmune Risk of Death Up during COVID

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A population-based study in the UK shows that patients with rare autoimmune rheumatic diseases (RAIRD) were 44% more likely to die during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic (March - April) compared to either the general population or their pre-COVID risk.