In patients with clinically stable systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis, the withdrawal of mycophenolate mofetil was not significantly inferior to mycophenolate maintenance, but MMF withdrawal had numerically more reactivations, while MMF maintenance had more infections.

EULAR has updated its treatment recommendations from the prior 2019 guidelines, since there have been several newly developed agents. The updated guidance includes 7 overarching principles and 11 recommendations regarding treatment strategy and pharmacological therapies.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a suppurative inflammatory skin disorder that is considered to be autoinflammatory by many. HS includes a specturm of disorders, linked by suppurative (or psoriatic) skin disease and potentially genetics. These HS-related disorders may include pyoderma gangrenosum, acne and suppurative hidradenitis, Pyogenic Arthritis, Pyoderma gangrenosum and Acne, pyogenic arthritis, PG, acne and suppurative hidradenitis, and Synovitis, Acne, Pustulosis, Hyperostosis and Osteitis, amongst others.

Medscape has published an informative review of leflunomide, drawn from Dr. Eric Ruderman’s recent lecture on the subject at the February RWCS meeting in Maui. Here are some highpoints from this Medscape article and lecture.

EULAR has published the 2023 updated recommendations for the optimal non-pharmacological management of hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Drs. Caroline Siegel and Lisa Sammaritano (from HSS in NYC) have published an impressive overview of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in JAMA. This timely, well-written review covers the many complexities of this multi-organ disorder that affects nearly 3.4 million people worldwide.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal articles and regulatory announcements from the past week on RheumNow.com.

A study from the University of British Columbia has evaluated the trajectories of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) use in patients with incident RA and SLE between1997 and 2021, and identified factors associated with high adherence. 

This meta-analysis of psoriasis treatments shows that biologic therapies may be less effective in certain psoriasis (PSO) patients, particularly those who are older, smokers, with higher BMI an prior exposure to biologics.

A randomised controlled trial of adults with recurrent low back pain (LBP) has shown that a program of progressive walking and education intervention significantly reduced low back pain recurrence.

A multicenter cohort study of systemic lupus erythematosus patients with type 2 diabetes has shown the use of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors associated with a significantly reduced risk of lupus nephritis, dialysis, kidney transplant, heart failure, and all-cause mortality compared with no SGLT2i use.

JAMA reports a cohort study that investigated the association between methotrexate (MTX) use and Interstitial lung disease (ILD) in patients with dermatomyositis (DM).

Many conventional synthetic, biological, biosimilar, and targeted synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs are currently commercially available for the effective treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. However, the "Holy Grail" remains the prevention of its development. During a clinical symposium at EULAR 2024 in Vienna, updates were presented on four prospective intervention trials conducted in patients experiencing joint pain without visible joint swelling.

Drs. Artie Kavanaugh and Jack Cush discuss highlights from the EULAR 2024 meeting in Vienna