Rheum Drugs & IDSA Guidelines to Treat COVID-19

Save

The Infectious Diseases Society of America has recently updated its recommendations with regards to the treatment of severely ill, hospitalized COVID-19 infected patients and also about the appropriate use of anti-IL-6, JAKs and colchicine.

RECITAL Trial: RTX vs. CTX in CTD-ILD

Save

A UK study suggests the equivalent outcomes when patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) associated with connective tissue disease (CTD) are treated with either intravenous rituximab (RTX) or cyclophosphamide (CTX), but with fewer adverse events with RTX. 

Just Can’t Get Enough of Hydroxychloroquine

Save

When it comes to hydroxychloroquine dosing, issues on efficacy, toxicity and therapeutic thresholds may affect the optimal use of this important drug.

Following are three abstracts presented during the meeting that address these topics.

Low Dose IL-2 Therapy in Sjögren’s

Save

There is a large, unmet need in treating Sjögren’s syndrome, yet a new randomized clinical trial has shown that low-dose interleukin 2 (LD-IL-2) was effective effective and well tolerated in patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS), with evidence of restored immune balance.

Tyk2 Inhibition Effective in SLE

Save

Deucravacitinib, an oral, selective TYK2 inhibitor, has demonstrated efficacy in a phase II trial active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients.

How Underweight Women Can Reduce Hip Fracture Risk

Save

How women can reduce the risk of hip fracture?  

Will a vegetarian diet and exercise actually help RA disease activity?

Save

The exact role of diet, physical activity, and stress management in the management of RA has long been debated. While reasonable evidence has supported the importance of physical activity in patients with RA, its capacity to reduce disease activity via conventional measures such as DAS28 was less well delineated.

The disconnect between objective inflammatory response and PROs in AxSpA

Save

The assessment of disease activity in AxSpA involves the use of objective inflammatory response (OIR) and patient reported outcomes (PROs). In clinics, a combination of OIR and PROs are used to measure disease activity and response to treatment.

RA: MACE Events with Opioids vs. NSAIDs

Save

Addressing chronic pain often leads general practitioners and specialists to prescribe opioids. However, opioids (weak and strong) have not demonstrated efficacy in long-term pain management; their chronic use could even worsen pain in users. Opioids prescription is often perceived as being safer than NSAIDs prescription, especially in respect to MACE.

SLE: Variability in Racial Disparities in Pregnancy Outcomes

Save

Significant disparities exist in pregnancy outcomes in women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with previous cohorts identifying Black women as having a higher risk of maternal mortality compared to White women with SLE.

Why treatment of pre-RA isn't ready for prime time

Save

The ACR Great Debate was on "To treat or not to treat in pre-RA?". What is the clinician to do?

ACR 2022 Appraisal, Praise & Critique (11.18.2022)

Save

It was great to be back at an ACR annual meeting, this one in Philadelphia - Philly was great. A walking town, rich in culture, history and good places to meet and mingle. 

I loved the city, but not the convention center (not easy to navigate). 

ACR Best Abstracts - Day 3

Save

The last day was jammed with important reports and research including the late breaking abstracts. 

ACR Best Abstracts - Day 2

Save

Day two at ACR 2022 was full of great sessions on imaging, vasculitis, lupus, vasculitis, spondyloarthritis, COVID, pregnancy, microbiome, economics and more.

Here are the RheumNow faculty selections for #ACRbest abstracts today:

Does Evusheld shield people living with rheumatic diseases?

Save

While COVID vaccination and subsequent booster remain the cornerstone, pre-exposure prophylaxis such as Evusheld (tixagevimab and cilgavimab) has been approved by FDA in December 2021 and EMA in March 2022 for people immunocompromised either due to a medical condition or receiving treatment with immunosuppressants and may not mount an adequate immune response to COVID vaccination. How does this therapy fare in RMD patients?

SLE, Sex and STDs

Save

Once in a while, I find an abstract at the ACR meeting that can potentially save lives and be implemented in practice now.  

In Abstract #0939, Dr. J Patricia Dhar and colleagues shared data from a pilot study examining a new method to monitor cervical health in African American Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) using a self-sampling brush to assess cervical cytology and human papilloma virus infection.

TNFi cycling in axSpA: Results from CorEVITAS Registy study

Save

Data presented at ACR22 shows that cycling through TNFi in axSpA patients with primary lack of efficacy with first line TNFi has limited additional benefit in controlling disease. 

Where are we with treating Pre-Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Save

The ability to prevent RA in individuals at risk is a holy grail in rheumatology. There is a long history dating back to the PROMPT trial of methotrexate and PRAIRIE trial of rituximab. Both otrials showed an effect, but it seemed more likely to be a delaying of RA than prevention or modulation. Framing it another way, there were better outcomes in pre-RA because we were actually treating RA as it emerged with a proven effective treatment. It is in this setting that three trials of ongoing studies in RA preventative therapy are presented at ACR.

Are MDA criteria created equal in PsA?

Save

Minimal Disease Activity criteria are used to evaluate PsA disease activity and response to treatment. Given that a patient only has to meet 5 of the 7 criteria, should the individual components be weighted equally?