Fibromyalgia (FM) affects 4–6% of the U.S. population, with nearly a 2 fold female predominance. Nociplastic pain underlies the pathophysiology of FM. CNS hypersensitization to both painful and non-painful stimuli occurs with little or no tissue pathology. Framing FM as a disorder of CNS processing is critical to diagnosis, treatment approaches and patient buy-in.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal articles and Gout features from this past week on RheumNow.com.

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) was disappointed that the proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) once again included a serious cut to the conversion factor.

More than half of U.S. adults use dietary supplements, yet only a quarter use supplements recommended by a healthcare professional, and current law lets supplements reach the market with no premarket safety evaluation, unlike drugs or food additives.

Gout is the most common inflammatory arthritis, but its burden is not shared equally across populations. Recent research has revealed substantial racial and ethnic disparities in both who develops gout and the care patients receive. These differences reflect not only genetic susceptibility but also the substantial influence of social determinants of health, healthcare access, and environmental exposures.

International guidelines can help identify dermatomyositis patients with a particularly high risk for cancer, according to a retrospective single-center U.S. study.

A recent report from China reaffirms the potential utility of salivary uric acid (UA) testing  delivers smartphone-guided, enzyme-free gout screening at home for pennies per test.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal articles and regulatory decisions from the past week. July is Gout: More than Flares month.

In a recent JAMA Viewpoints article, Dr. Susan Ott addresses several controversies in preventing osteoporosis (OP) related fractures.

At the end of June, Sobi was awaiting an FDA decision on its Biologics License Application (BLA) for NASP (nanoencapsulated sirolimus plus pegadricase) for the treatment of adult patients with uncontrolled gout. On June 26, 2026, SOBI received a Complete Response Letter from the U.S. FDA that will delay a decision on NASP, pending the company's answer to questions regarding the drugs manufacturing at a 3rd party facility in China.

Compared to common medical conditions such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia or osteoporosis, where the reported drug adherence rates are between 50% to 70%, the drug adherence for gout is 37%.