A new treatment for AxSpA that has come on the scene are JAK inhibitors. In clinic, considerations for JAKi use are body mass index, smoking status, prior use of biologics and patients with high inflammatory states such as high CRP and inflammatory change on MRI scan of the spine and sacroiliac joints. There are further studies at #ACR22 which help answer these questions.

When it comes to Spondyloarthritis we have numerous disease activity measures and much debate regarding best practices. When it comes to determining which to use in clinic, discrepancies occur. Do our activity measures truly represent disease? Are there some measures best suited to different populations? Does BASDAI work for women?

The pharmaceutical companies have will showcase their featured clinical trials and abstracts at ACR 2022.  These are their best studies for you to review and evaluate as part of your to-do list.

As we approach ACR22, there are many things to be excited about, especially with the reintroduction of in-person attendance. My attention this year is in research being presented in these three areas: ankylosing spondylitis; lupus management and treatment; and, subclinical RA.

Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic inflammatory rheumatic musculoskeletal disease which can be managed with both pharmacological and non-pharmacological options. The joint ASAS-EULAR recommendations for axSpA were first developed in 2006, and last updated in 2016.

A EULAR Task force has developed recommendations for screening and prophylaxis of chronic and opportunistic infections in patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIIRD).

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from this past week on RheumNow.com.  New regulatory decisions about JAK inhibitors and why do women with rheumatic diseases have unfair outcomes?

Remission often invites consideration of drug withdrawal in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).

The European Medicines Agency’s (EMA's) safety committee (PRAC) has issued a recommendation that the use of oral JAK inhibitors (tofacitinib, baricitinib, upadacitinib and filgotinib) be limited to certain at-risk patients unless no other suitable treatment alternatives are available.

Dr. Jack Cush discusses the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow. This week more lupus nephritis, more drug induced lupus and more lupus infections that may kill.