JAK/TYK2

Psoriatic arthritis is currently experiencing a burgeoning selection of treatment options. While this is a very welcome development in a disease which has had less treatment options compared to RA, it leaves us with a difficult conundrum: which agent to choose for an individual patient.

The third day of ACR 2021 took a big leap in online content.  Here is a compilation (with links) of presentations were the “ACRBest” as seen by our RheumNow faculty. 

Januse kinase (JAK) inhibitors are targeted synthetic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (tsDMARDs) that have risen in popularity as earlier treatment options for rheumatoid arthritis. With multiple JAK inhibitors available in the United States (tofacitinib, baricitinib, and upadacitinib), patients who fail one treatment option have the ability to switch to another agent or change to biologic therapy. 

Still's disease is an autoinflammatory disease characterized by spiking fever, rash, polyarthralgia, sore throat and even life-threatening complications, such as macrophage activation syndrome. It was first described by George Still in the late 1800s.

The opening of ACR2 Convergence was a hit for all who signed up and viewed in. The day included the presidential address by outgoing president Dr. David Karp (UT Southwestern) and a keynote talk and interview with Dr. Seema Yasmin (Stanford). The Year in Review featured a clinical vs basic science Brigham and Women’s Hospital faceoff between its two faculty, Dr. Karen Costenbader and Dr. Michael Brenner.

Growing awareness of spondyloarthropathies over the last two decades has led to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of spondyloarthritis, and subsequently increased interest in more distinct, disease state specific treatment options.

Giant cell arteritis is associated with significant treatment related morbidity due to the dependence on glucocorticoids as a treatment option. After sixty years of therapeutic stagnation, these are exciting times in the management of GCA. At this year's ACR Convergence meeting, encouraging data will be presented on options for GCA.

Patients with rheumatic diseases – requiring lifelong immunosuppressants— are at high risk for respiratory and viral infections. Over the past decade, an armamentarium of biologic and targeted therapies has led to better control of disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Whether these patients, especially those receiving newer biological and targeted therapies such as JAK inhibitors, are at an increased risk of severe COVID-19