Data from Data FORWARD (The National Databank for Rheumatic Diseases) reveals that nearly two-thirds of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients have self-reported sleep problems. The FORWARD study, a registry that includes over 4200 RA patients), collects data on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), restless legs syndrome (RLS), and short sleep (SS) problems. SS was based on self-reported average sleep time (<6 hours). 

This week's NEJM has published the efficacy results of a large phase 3 trial of olokizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody that directly targets IL-6 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. This is in contrast to two other marketed IL-6 inhibitors (sarilumab, tocilizumab) that bind to the IL-6 receptor.

A recent meta-analysis suggests a bidirectional association between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and depression.  Finding RA patients with depression yields an 80% increased mortality risk. Anti-cytokine therapies represents a potential alternative for the treatment of depression. Analysis of 11 cohort studies included 39,130 RA patients, 550,782 patients with depression and 7,802,230 controls.