Low Dose IL-2 Therapy in Sjögren’s

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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

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

ACR 2022 Appraisal, Praise & Critique (11.18.2022)

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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). 

New 2022 EULAR Recommendations for the Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis

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The updated 2022 EULAR recommendations for the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were initially presented by Dr. Josef Smolen at EULAR 2022, and are now in press delineating the most recent developments and perspectives in RA treatment.

Update: axSpA Recommendations

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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.

2022 EULAR Recommendations for Screening and Prophylaxis of Chronic and Opportunistic Infections

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

Women with Rheumatic Disease (11.4.2022)

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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?

SLE T2T - Lupus Low Disease Activity State Predicts Outcomes

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Treat-to-target management of SLE has been shown to protect against organ damage and to improve quality of life. Now a prospective study shows that T2T with a goal of lupus low disease activity state and remission has been shown to improve mortality risk.

2022 CDC Clinical Practice Guideline on Opioid Prescribing

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The CDC has updated its Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain and includes recommendations for managing acute (duration of <1 month), subacute (duration of 1–3 months), and chronic (duration of >3 months) pain.

Can You Withdraw Ixekizumab in Stable Axial Spondyloarthritis?

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

EMA Crack Down on JAK Inhibitors

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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.

Infections & Lupus (10.28.2022)

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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. 

Growing Confidence in Biosimilars?

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Today, Cardinal Health released its third edition of Rheumatology Insights, a research report based on surveys with more than 100 rheumatologists nationwide that focuses on key trends

Update to Axial Spondyloarthritis Guidance

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EULAR and the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) has updated their guidance on axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) management.

New ACR/EULAR Guideline Expands RA Remission Definition

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Newly released guidance for defining remission in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is expected to increase the number of patients achieving it while maintaining its ability to predict good objective outcomes.

2022 ASAS-EULAR Guidelines for Axial Spondyloarthritis

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Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) and EULAR have published their 2022 update and recommendations for the management of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).

FDA Approves Upadacitinib for Non-Radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis

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On Friday October 21st the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved upadacitinib (Rinvoq) for the treatment of active non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis in patients with objective signs of inflammation who have had an inadequate response or intolerance to tumor necrosis factor blocker therapy.

Pregnancy Outcomes with Belimumab

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Pregnancy in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is fraught with problems of adverse pregnancy outcomes, more pregnancy loss and birth defects. Now a study of SLE pregnancies exposed to belimumab (BEL) shows and expected rate of pregnancy loss but a variable rate of birth defects.

CRTAC1- a Novel Biomarker for Osteoarthritis

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Scientists at deCODE genetics a subsidiary of Amgen report in Arthritis & Rheumatology that a novel plasma protein (cartilage acidic protein-1; CRTAC1) is a potential biomarker of osteoarthritis (OA) through its association with OA risk and progression to joint replacement.

No Special Heart Risk With JAK Inhibitors, Study Finds

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Patients taking Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors for rheumatoid arthritis experienced similar cardiovascular outcomes as those using the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blocker adalimumab (Humira), analysis of French national registry data indicated.