Panacea of Prednisone & Cannabis (5.16.2025)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal and regulatory reports from this week on RheumNow.com. Interesting trends and results with prednisone in lupus, cannabis in RA and opioid deaths too!
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Deep remission in SLE – what is it, and can we achieve it?
Recent reports on lupus patients treated with CAR-T cells targeting CD19+ B lymphocytes have sparked excitement. This is due to the patients experiencing ongoing clinical remission without further treatment after two https://t.co/rdBkIhfWWd
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FDA approved the chikungunya virus vaccine (Ixchiq) in 11/23, but recently announced caution and pause use while it investigates Postmarketing Safety Reports of 17 SAE (cardiac & neurologic) & 2 deaths. 6 SAE in the USA, elderly w/ chronic med conditions. ~80K doses of Ixchiq https://t.co/XadqMEmSuD
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J&J announced results of Phase 3 ICONIC-TOTAL study of qd icotrokinra, an oral IL-23 receptor inhibitor, in 311 ps w/ difficult scalp and genital psoriasis (PSO) -success in 57%; skin clearance in 66% & genital psoriasis resp in 77% treated https://t.co/WftyEcDh8u https://t.co/Ydy37Eo0jX
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Telitacicept, recombinant fusion protein targeting BLyS & APRIL, studied in 41 Chinese SLE pts (added to standard Rx) showed mean improvements in SLEDAI-2K (10.0 to 6.25 @12 wks & 4.2 @24 wks;p<.001), daily prednisone (21 mg to 9.8mg) & proteinuria (2.8 gr to 1.3 gr/day) https://t.co/xtPMSZBoWg
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Deep remission in SLE – what is it, and can we achieve it?
Recent reports on small numbers of lupus patients treated with CAR-T cells directed against CD19+ B lymphocytes have generated considerable excitement, not so much because the initial response to this therapy was favorable, but because after follow-up durations of two years or longer the
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Lupus Unlocked: Journal Club
In this first webinar of RheumNow's Lupus Unlocked campaign, Journal Club discussed two articles:
Efficacy and Safety of Obinutuzumab in Active Lupus Nephritis. Furie R, et al. NEJM. 2025 Feb 7. doi: 10.1056
Efficacy and safety of voclosporin https://t.co/OYv5J8VpRB
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Telitacicept, recombinant fusion protein targeting BLyS & APRIL, studied in 41 Chinese SLE pts (added to standard Rx) showed mean improvements in SLEDAI-2K (10.0 to 6.25 @12 wks & 4.2 @24 wks;p<.001), daily prednisone (21 mg to 9.8mg) & proteinuria (2.8 gr to 1.3 gr/day) https://t.co/KHMWPeq79x
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Comparing EULAR (2025) and ACR (2020) Guidelines on Safety of Lupus Medications in Pregnancy
Attendees at the 2025 RheumaPreg meeting were excited to discuss the newly released EULAR recommendations for use of antirheumatic drugs in reproduction, pregnancy, and lactation. Table 1 summarizes the major recommendations from EULAR (2025) and the American College of Rheumatology (2020)
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SLE Perspectives: Past, Present, Future
From fellowship through current times to looking ahead to the future, here are my lupus perspectives.
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Emulation trials in SLE: Real or Fake?
Recently a landmark paper was published in A&R studying the results of an emulation trial on SGLT2i (sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors) showing benefit in SLE patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), for both renal protection and reducing cardiovascular events, using data from an
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GLP-1 agonists effective in Rxing MASH - metabolic dysfunction-assoc steatohepatitis (AKA NAFLD, NASH). DBRPCT w/ 1100 pts (mean BMI 34-35). A good perspective article from Sensible Medicine. https://t.co/NeaX5qcnPA https://t.co/5DHlKfH105 https://t.co/sCfvcm7g54
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FDA has approved nipocalimab (Imaavytm), a FcRn for use in generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG). It is approved for using in gMG patents who are anti-AChR and anti-MuSK antibody positive adults and pediatric gMG patients aged 12 and older. https://t.co/fYCWuTZ6Uz https://t.co/aSfydBS9xh
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Secondary Benefits to SGLT2 Inhibitor Use in SLE
An emulation trial of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients yielded a significantly reduced risk of several cardiorenal complications among patients with SLE and type 2 https://t.co/aQK4Sc9tdU
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Tuesday Night Rheumatology returns this month with the launch of Lupus Unlocked, starting with a special Journal Club session.
Join authors Dr. Richard Furie and Dr. Brad Rovin as they walk us through their pivotal studies on lupus nephritis:
📄 Obinutuzumab in Active Lupus https://t.co/PdhC857sfX
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FDA has approved nipocalimab (Imaavytm), a FcRn for use in generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG). It is approved for using in gMG patents who are anti-AChR and anti-MuSK antibody positive adults and pediatric gMG patients aged 12 and older. https://t.co/CaSwCnCK8V https://t.co/A2COjk2hzY
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FDA Approves Rinvoq for Giant Cell Arteritis
Based on the results of the SELECT-GCA study, the US FDA has approved upadacitinib (Rinvoq or UPA) for the treatment of adults with giant cell arteritis (GCA), also known as temporal arteritis. This is the 9th FDA approved indication https://t.co/gPTwnR2VLw
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Tuesday Night Rheumatology returns this month with the launch of Lupus Unlocked, starting with a special Journal Club session.
Join authors Dr. Richard Furie and Dr. Brad Rovin as they walk us through their pivotal studies on lupus nephritis:
📄 Obinutuzumab in Active Lupus https://t.co/2zZOEzsnnI
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
EULAR Guidelines on Reproductive Health
MedPage Today
Rheumatology patients considering or actually having babies can safely take most of the medications currently used to treat their conditions, according to an updated guideline from the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR).
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US- Top Drug Rx Sales in 2024
Semaglutide $54 Billion
Tirzepatide $31.7 B
Adalimumab $28B
Apixaban $26 B
Empagliflozin $20.5 B
Pembrolizumab $18 B
Ustekinumab $17 B
Risankizumab $16 B
Dupilumab $15.6 B
Etanercept $10.1 B
Secukinumab $7.7 B
Immune globulin $7.1 B
Upadacitinib $7 https://t.co/Wjcu7LrTfC
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2024 Management of Familial Mediterranean Fever Recommendations
A EULAR/PReS combined task force has developed recommendations for the management of Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), the most common monogenic autoinflammatory disease worldwide. These evidence-based recommendations update the 2016 recommendations developed for rheumatologists and other HCPs
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Better Responses with Chronotherapy for Baricitinib
A nonrandomized, open-label, controlled trial has shown superior efficacy when baricitinib was given at night (instead of day); attesting to the benefits of chronotherapy - selective dosing meant to target the body's diurnal https://t.co/jSrPdoOpmo
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Better Responses with Chronotherapy for Baricitinib
A nonrandomized, open-label, controlled trial has shown superior efficacy when baricitinib was given at night (instead of day); attesting to the benefits of chronotherapy - selective dosing meant to target the body's diurnal https://t.co/pEJIsJq0wE
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
No Extra Cancer Recurrence Risk with Biologics in RA
MedPage Today
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in Denmark with a history of solid tumor cancers, now in remission, faced no greater likelihood of cancer relapse when they were treated with biologic agents, compared with conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs).
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Piperacillin effectively treats Lyme disease at 100-times lower dose than doxycycline https://t.co/vbu78RbRys https://t.co/AqSkm7XtbB https://t.co/olTi8OWsQ6
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