In an oral abstract presentation on Wednesday 3rd June, Fredrik Albach presented results for mivocabtagene autoleucel – an autologous, fully human CD19-directed CAR-T cell therapy – from Phase 1 of the prospective, open-label COMPARE trial in six patients with anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA)-positive, treatment-refractory active rheumatoid arthritis.

New EULAR 2026 data show continued treat-to-target ULT beats a discontinuation strategy for maintaining gout remission (79.2% vs. 62.9% flare-free), though many who stopped still stayed flare-free. A companion study links gout and rheumatoid arthritis to distinct, adverse body fat patterns tied to higher diabetes and cardiovascular risk.

For years, peripheral spondyloarthritis has been managed with a cautious, stepwise approach: start with NSAIDs, escalate to conventional synthetic DMARDs, and only reach for biologics when everything else fails. The SPARTACUS trial, presented at EULAR 2026 in London, challenges that paradigm head-on. The results make a compelling case for rethinking when, not just whether, to deploy TNF inhibitors.

This update includes new pandemic era evidence, recombinant zoster vaccine data, and new perspectives on vaccination in patients taking novel immunosuppressants. Five overarching principles and 10 vaccine recommendations follow.

Late-breaking abstracts presented at the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology's (EULAR) annual meeting, held here last week, addressed a wide range of clinical concerns and suggested that patients and clinicians have much to look forward to in coming months and years.