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ACR Concerns on the Scientific Integrity at the CDC

ACR

On behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), we express deep concern over recent developments at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that appear to undermine the agency’s longstanding commitment to science-based public health policy.

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ILD Begins (8.29.2025)

Jack Cush, MD

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from RheumNow.com. This week news on vaccines, safety of acetaminophen and more.

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Long-term Lab Monitoring in RA is Inefficient

Jack Cush, MD

Annals of Internal Medicine has published a retrospective study of long-term routine laboratory toxicity monitoring (lt-RLTM) in patients receiving disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy showing that most very abnormal laboratory finding occur early in therapy (first 6 months) or are anticipated or only after dose escalation.

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Methotrexate intolerance in rheumatoid arthritis

Jack Cush, MD

Methotrexate (MTX) is the most commonly used DMARD in rheumatoid arthritis (RA); however, there is significant intolerance to this drug among adult RA patients - especially at doses above 15 mg per week. 

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Sjögren's Graduates (8.22.2025)

Jack Cush, MD

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal reports, FDA approvals, drug safety, and more from this week.

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It's now called Sjögren Disease!

Jack Cush, MD

Sjögren syndrome is now Sjögren disease, according to recommendations stemming from the 2023 International Rome consensus for the nomenclature of Sjögren disease.

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Safety of Combination Targeted Therapies in Psoriatic Arthritis

MedPage Today

Treating psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients with more than one targeted therapy appears to be just fine, with no increased risk of serious infections, insurance claims data indicate.

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Rheums Speak: Future of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Jack Cush, MD

The third survey in this series addressed clinician views on future trends (AI), future therapies and lessons learned.

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Uncertainty with immunosuppressive for idiopathic inflammatory myopathies

Jack Cush, MD

A current Cochrane review suggests a continued unmet need regarding the status and utility of targeted immunosuppressant and immunomodulatory treatments for the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM). Overall there has been little progress since the previous Cochrane review (2012) that found little or no evidence to guide treatment.

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Wait! FDA approved the Chikungunya Virus Vaccine 2 yrs ago, but just pulled the vaccine, Ixchiq, citing serious safety concerns (specifically CBER reports of >20 serious adverse events, including 21 hospitalizations, 3 deaths, w/ 1 fatality directly linked to vaccine-derived https://t.co/aaC38VX7rF
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Primary CNS angiitis - an uncommon vasculitis affecting brain, spinal cord, or leptomeninges, typically B/L, but here are 48 pts w/ unilateral PACNS. Dx is made by imaging, wall imaging (VWI), perfusion, spectroscopy. Histology shows small-to med vessel lymphocytic vasculitis https://t.co/xtD7wBT1J2
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While the live-attenuated vaccine, Ixchiq, was pulled for safety concerns, there is another chikungunya vax still on the marked - a virus-like particle vaccine, Vimkunya. Travelers or the elderly at higher risk of chikungunya exposure should consider getting vaccinated

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Celltrions tocilizumab biosimilar, tocilizumab-anoh (Avtozma, CT-P47), had similar efficacy when switching from reference tocilizumab (Actemra; Genentech) in a study of 444 RA patients x 52 wks. https://t.co/7aAyuUkZJ9 https://t.co/kJUrRkhstb

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Cardiovascular Sequelae in Adults After Kawasaki Disease A long-term cohort study of children diagnosed with Kawasaki disease (KD) shows evidence of future adult cardiovascular complications and hospitalizations. These severe cardiovascular events clustered during the young KD https://t.co/zbo64gAV1H
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AbbVie announces positive topline results from a 2nd Phase 3 UP-AA Trial evaluating Upadacitinib in Alopecia Areata (AA) - w/ 45% and 55% of severe AA pts rx w/ UPA 15 mg and 30 mg, achieving a SALT score ≤ 201 (80% or more scalp hair coverage) at week 24 https://t.co/8p1FvJx0s0
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Rapid rituximab infusions are safe & efficient. Metanalysis of 7 RCTs, 538 pts w/ autoimmune/rheumatic dz, showed infusions(RTX 1000 mg) of 90-120 min (w/ premedication) had low risk (3-15%) of mild (Grades 1, 2) infusion Rxns; only 6 Grade 3 Rxns https://t.co/uVKuhhc80F https://t.co/NIMMhgIRzH

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FDA has granted Soligenix "Orphan Drug Designation" to study dusquetide in the treatment of Behçet's dz, based on an 8 patient proof of concept Phase 2a trial. Not yet FDA approved, dusquetide is a short peptide innate defense regulator (IDR). Behcets affects 18K in USA and https://t.co/RzzVuQ6bAB
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Telitacicept, a BLyS (BAFF)/APRIL dual-target fusion drug, announced it has met the primary endpoint in its Phase III clinical trial in treating primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) in China. Primary endpoint was the change in ESSDAI score at Week 24. https://t.co/afOgpGLdV1 https://t.co/9EKbbrCgTL

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The global autoimmune disease treatment market was valued at $7 billion USD in 2024 and is expected to rise to ~$11 billion by 2030 and reach $12.6 billion by 2032 https://t.co/C5IQ0hUvQE https://t.co/RjbMo5cCOl

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TNF Inhibitors in Takayasu's Arteritis A large, retrospective, multicenter study demonstrated the efficacy of intravenous infliximab and subcutaneous adalimumab in patients with Takayasu arteritis. https://t.co/lJbvaYnylO https://t.co/uRBruhW2Fd

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