Poets Know It (3.13.2026)

Jack Cush, MD

Mar 13, 2026 11:05 am

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, regulatory decisions and new journal articles.

Prebiotic fibre improves knee OA. Study of 117 older adults w/ KOA Rx w/ 6wks of inulin (fibre) or Physiotherapy exercise (PSE) or both vs PBO. Both Inulin & PSE signif improved pain & PSE vs PBO ( −1.11 to -2.5; p <0.045); inulin also improved pain sensitivity & grip strength https://t.co/Efic4mru1i
AI model was superior in diagnosing Acromegaly from dorsal hand photographs - w. sensitivity 0.89, specificity 0.91, PPV 0.88, NPV 0.93, F1-score of 0.89, AUC 0.96, outperforming specialists, Study of 716 pts (317 acromegaly; 399 controls) & 11480 images, from 15 Japanese centers https://t.co/8RM4wf8vGi
UCB announced topline results of the BE-BOLD head-to-head study where bimekizumab (IL-17i) was superior to risankizumab (IL-23i) study; 553 active PsA in achieving an ACR50 response at 16 weeks. Enrolled PsA pts were either biologic naïve or who had previous exposure to 1 TNFi https://buff.ly/pJNq2aD
Swiss study of 1st TNFi efficacy in 3324 axial spondy (axSpA) (≤1 yr=very early Dz,441; 1-2 yrs =early axSpA, 218; >2 yrs=establi axSpA, 2575). After adjusting for age/sex, B27, etc, no signif. difference seen when TNFi started regarding later outcomes: TNFi retention, or ASDAS https://t.co/1EaP8UOsVt
Korean National Insurance claims study (2010–2023) of treatment persistence of IL-17i vs TNFi (IL-17i: 375; TNFi: 1285) in 1660 axSpA pts found equal Tx durations. However, primary nonresponse D/C was significantly higher w/ TNFi vs IL-17i (adj HR 1.54 to 2.11) https://t.co/2CF4OCPT6z
Annual fibromyalgia survey (FIRST) in axSpA pts in the DESIR cohort. FM was found in 22% (& assoc w/ less HLA-B27+ & XRay sacroiliitis, equal MRI SI a& ^ CRP. FM/AxSpA had less self-reported Dz activity, QOL, more disability & more likely to Rx w/ TNFi (64% vs 41%), but resp https://t.co/Rf5RGIanAP
Poor sleep increases risk of #RA. English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. RA risk was signif. higher in those with moderate sleep quality (SQ) (HR 1.23) or poor SQ (HR 1.50), cmpared to good SQ. Partly mediated by depression https://t.co/kTbCUHeIGi
Physician Assistant Workforce Grew 28% in USA (2020 To 2024), reaching 189,188 PAs; increased in every state (lease in Alaska 10%, most in SCarolina 48%,(to 2,984 in 2024). In 2024, there were 55.6 PAs/100,000 population https://t.co/VdXP3aM3ga
Muscular strength is a resilience marker relevant to function. A prospective cohort study of 5472 women (mean 79 yrs), showed that greater muscular strength (grip strength, chair stand time) was assoc w/ lower mortality (HR 0.85- 0.67) https://t.co/HEO4r2cdmS
Update on FDA complete response letter to AZ regarding BLA hold for anifrolumab (Saphnelo) for SC use in SLE. CRL originally issued 10/10/25, but announced 2/3/26. FDA CRL cites critical data quality w/ key analyses in SC-TULIP study. A BLA decision expected in 1st half of 2026 https://t.co/zuwtsdL6I9
TYK2 Inhibitor Deucravacitinib FDA Approved for Psoriatic Arthritis On Friday, March 6th, the FDA approved deucravacitinib (Sotyktu) for the treatment of adults with active PsA based on the results of the pivotal Phase 3 POETYK PsA-1 and POETYK PsA-2 clinical trials. https://t.co/a6rmortnoS
NEJM: Obinutuzumab in Active Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Managing Gout in CKD Patients
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