The annual ACR meeting began last night with a number of famed rheumatologists being inducted as ACR Masters.

CORRONA, America's largest registry, has numerous presentations for this year's annual ACR/ARHP meeting. See below for the expanse of efficacy and safety issues covered by CORRONA investigators.

On Monday, November 13, there were two new presentations at the annual ACR 2016 meeting on new biologics seeking approval for use in polyarticular juvenile arthritis. While both abatacept (ABA) and certolizumab (CZP) are currently FDA-approved for use in adult rheumatoid arthritis, further study is required before they can be considered in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

Ixekinumab (IXE) is an IGG4 monoclonal antibody bindings with high affinity to IL -17A.  Currently marketed at Taltz and approved for use in chronic plaque psoriasis, the agent is also being developed for use in psoriatic arthritis.

The opening day plenary session at ACR 2016 this morning featured John H. Stone, MD, presenting the much anticipated primary endpoint data from GiACTA, the phase III, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial of tocilizumab (TCZ) in patients with giant cell arteritis.

Treatment of giant cell arteritis with tocilizumab is a hot topic at this year’s ACR meeting and, while GiACTA data was promising, a Swiss study reported less-favorable results at the poster session this morning (Abstr

Why do diseases manifest in some family members but not in others? Antibodies can be found in patients who do not meet criteria for treatment, especially in first-degree relatives. Are these antibodies a predecessor for disease or merely a genetic marker without meaning? There remains dissention for how we need to monitor and care for these patients.