Lessons on Non-adherence

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Dr. Sun et al. from Duke University presented abstract POS0692 during one of the poster sessions entitled, “Lupus patients with concurrent inflammatory activity and symptom burdens have the lowest medication adherence and experience distinct adherence barriers.” They evaluated differences in self-reported medication adherence and reasons for nonadherence across Type 1 & 2 SLE classification groups, with a prespecified focus on comparing the Mixed Activity group to all other groups.

Seeing more or seeing too much? Ultrasound vs MRI in preclinical RA

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Imaging in the preclinical phase of RA is moving fast—arguably faster than our ability to interpret what we are actually seeing.

What’s New in Macrophage Activation Syndrome Therapeutics

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MAS, the most severe complication of Still’s disease, is increasingly recognized as a cytokine-driven hyperinflammatory state centered on interferon gamma (IFNγ). Therapeutic advances presented at EULAR 2026 demonstrate both consolidation of established pathways and expansion into novel biologic strategies.

Hot topic: menopause and inflammatory arthritis outcomes in RA and PsA

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Across EULAR 2026 abstracts this year and presented in a session called “this is a woman’s world”, strong signals are emerging that the menopausal transition is associated with changes in disease phenotype, disease activity, and treatment response in both RA and PsA.

New Oral Option for axSpA: Filgotinib for Radiographic and Non-Radiographic Disease

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The Janus kinase inhibitor (JAKi) class has been increasingly used in the management of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) over the past five years, offering effective oral alternatives to injectable biologics. But are all JAK inhibitors the same?

Day 4 EULAR Report

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The last day in London was exciting as both the Late-Breaking abstracts and new EULAR guidelines were presented.

INDIGO: Switching B Cells Off, Not Out, in IgG4-Related Disease

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B-cell targeting has moved to the centre of IgG4-related disease treatment, with inebilizumab, a CD19 depleter, as the recent benchmark. At EULAR 2026, INDIGO tested whether the disease can be controlled by switching B cells off rather than depleting them.

Obinutuzumab drives histologic remission in lupus nephritis

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At EULAR 2026, investigators are presenting perhaps the most biologically compelling data yet from the REGENCY trial, with evidence that obinutuzumab induces deep intrarenal B-cell depletion alongside markedly higher rates of histological remission.

RA-ILD in the Age of Treat-to-Target: Put the Probe on the Chest

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At EULAR 2026, speakers of the session “Catching Your Breath: Unravelling RA Associated Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD)” noted RA-ILD is one of the few outcomes not improving in the biologic era. Three abstracts reinforce that message and make the case for a practical, low-cost screening tool that is already in most rheumatologists’ hands.

Improving Understanding in SSc

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Systemic sclerosis is a rare connective tissue disorder characterised by autoimmune features with vascular manifestations, causing fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. EULAR is focused on systemic sclerosis as the rheumatic disease with the highest morbidity and mortality. New data presented at the EULAR 2026 Congress underscore key complications, and offer hope for a possible new therapeutic strategy.

Immune Dimming or Immune Reset in RA: How Far Should We Go?

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CD19-directed CAR T-cell therapy has rapidly moved into autoimmune disease, driven in large part by striking reports in SLE, where sustained drug-free remission has raised the possibility of a true immune reset. In RA, where multiple effective therapeutic classes already exist, the relevance of such deep immune interventions remains uncertain.

New: Classification Critiera and Recommendations in SpA

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ASAS and the SPARTAN have updated their key classification criteria for axial SpA (axSpA). EULAR has also recently revised their recommendations on the role of imaging in the diagnosis and clinical management of spondyloarthritis (SpA). Both were presented at the EULAR 2026 annual Congress in London.

Day 3 EULAR Report

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Day 3 was an interesting mix of posters, oral presentations, and review sessions on many practical subjects like osteoarthritis, large vessel vasculitis, systemic sclerosis, and pregnancy. Here are a few of my recommended abstracts from Friday at EULAR 2026.

5 years since Patient ID001: Progress on CAR-T Therapy in RMD

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Five years on, are we closer to licensing of the first CAR-T therapy in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMD)?

Biologic Class Determines PsA Risk in Psoriasis

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At EULAR 2026, Dr Nikolaos Kougkas presented data from a unique real-world cohort built within joint dermatology–rheumatology university centers, following 394 patients with psoriasis on bDMARDs for up to 17 years. We sat down with Dr Kougkas to unpack the methodology, challenge the results, and draw out the clinical implications for everyday practice.