IL-1 Inhibition in CPPD

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Controlled clinical trials in patients with calcium Pyrophosphate Deposition Disease (CPPD) are scant. Now a metanalysis provides evidence that anakinra, an interleukin-1 inhibitor, is a promising alternative for patients with acute CPPD flares.

DAHLIAS study - Nipocalimab in Sjögren's Disease

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Nipocalimab, a neonatal Fc receptor blocker that reduces circulating IgG and autoantibodies, was shown to be effective in a phase 2 trial in patients with severe Sjögren's disease.

Genetic Risks and Severe Cutaneous Reactions to Allopurinol

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A matched cohort study shows that HLA-B*58:01 and HLA-A*34:02 are strongly associated with allopurinol-induced severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs), these alleles were absent in more than one-third of those affected, suggesting these are strong but incomplete indicators of SCAR risk. 

New ACR 2025 Guidelines for Non-Renal Lupus

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Written by Lisa Sammaritano, MD, of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, and a committee of nearly 50 other experts, the new guideline also stipulates that corticosteroids are OK for gaining symptom control in newly diagnosed patients and when flares erupt, but the duration should be kept as short as possible.

The Interview (11.7.2025)

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I've done thousands of interviews; mostly for medical school admissions or medical and research employment.  They’re all the same. I'm looking for the “right one” and the interviewee is somewhere between apprehension, uncertainty and hope.  From all this experience I’ve developed my own perspective on interviews and interviewing that has been amended in the digital/virtual era.

Ianalumab Shows Phase 3 Success in Sjögren’s: Is It Clinically Meaningful?

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On the final day of ACR25, late-breaking abstract #24 drew particular attention, presenting results from the first positive Phase 3 trials of a potential systemic treatment for a disease that has long lacked one.

Deucravacitinib and Renal Function: Insights from the PAISLEY Trial

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In the phase 2 PAISLEY trial, deucravacitinib met its primary and secondary endpoints, demonstrating efficacy across multiple clinical and patient-reported outcomes. However, the impact on renal function has remained unclear. An abstract presented at ACR provides new insights.

PET Uptake in Large Vessel GCA – Does tocilizumab help?

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Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most common form of adult vasculitis in the United States and can be subdivided into those with cranial only symptoms, those with large vessel vasculiti/PMR, and those with mixed features.

What should head-to-head studies in inflammatory arthritis teach us?

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The multimillion dollar question for inflammatory arthritis prescriptions is: which drug should I use next?

Beyond malignancy, look out for LICATS with CAR-T

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CAR T cell therapy took the centre stage in 2022 where data pertaining to a successful case series of 5 patients with refractory SLE were published by Prof Schett’s group. Since then, this area of therapeutic has expanded exponentially. Our growing enthusiasm was slightly dampened though when the FDA required all six approved CAR T-cell therapies in oncology to include a black box warning regarding the risk of second primary malignancies in January 2024. At ACR25, Prof Schett’s group described a new form of toxicity in patients with autoimmune disease receiving CAR T-cell therapy, most likely due to the cleansing of immune cells from the affected organs.

Taking a closer look: B-Cell depletion beyond the blood

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Following the landmark case series by the Erlangen group, multiple cellular therapies have entered the race—each with unique targets, constructs, and mechanisms. Yet, a fundamental question remains: How deep is the B-cell depletion? In clinical practice, peripheral blood counts often serve as our surrogate for depletion. But these may only tell part of the story.

Deep Learning Model Accurately Detects Ankylosing Spondylitis on MRI

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AI continues to move from research labs into rheumatology clinics, promising to reshape how inflammatory diseases are diagnosed and monitored. Ankylosing spondylitis, in particular, poses a diagnostic challenge—its early imaging findings are subtle, and radiographic changes may take years to appear and require specific musculoskeletal radiology expertise. A new deep learning model offers a glimpse into how AI could bridge this diagnostic gap.