Remission – Believe it or Not (10.2.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.
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Upadacitinib is now approved in European Union to treat active polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pJIA) ages > 2yrs for those not responding to 1+ DMARDs. In the USA, UPA is approved for pJIA & juvenile PsA https://t.co/Vhx717rw5T https://t.co/hObov1Umgb
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Remission — believe it or not. What’s happening in rheumatology this week? Dr. Jack Cush breaks down the latest news and journal reports on RheumNow:
10-year T2T data: 82% in remission
Residual steroids don’t preserve remission
Biologics linked to lower PsA risk
GLP-1s + knee OA https://t.co/2Zf9g1Wehg
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
The GLP-1 Opportunity Cost in Rheumatology
There is no doubt it is an incredibly exciting time to be tackling obesity-related diseases, like many rheumatic diseases appear to be, to some extent.
https://t.co/49EscdPOTG https://t.co/c0kSgOXZy7
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
The weight is off, the DMARDs are off - now what?
Sometimes it’s only when we have effective solutions that we have to think about what to do next. And when that happens, remember why we do things in the first place. In an era when weight loss is happening on scale, now we need https://t.co/MTjU5YRS5q
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
ARthritis & CAncer (ARCA) is Spanish retro study of 728 #RA pts w/ Hx of CA & Rx w/ biologics. W/ F/U of 11 022 yrs, new/recurrent CA was not incr (7.3/1000PYs) & = Pts Rx w/ csDMARDs (HRs 0.94; 0.73,1.21) & not incr w/ TNFi (0.94), IL-6i (1.03), CD20i (0.81), JAKi (0.6), ABA https://t.co/UUWlsaYV0Z
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Mediterranean Diet Lowers Incident Rheumatoid Arthritis Risk
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has published the results of the SUN Project study, showing that long-term adherence to a Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) was associated with a substantially lower risk of https://t.co/9GhEwXuCEI
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Lifestyle and Incretin Therapy Advice for Rheumatologists
As GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists become standard co-management tools for obese patients with RA, PsA, axSpA, and gout, this JAMA Insights perspective by Kushner, et al. reframes lifestyle counseling as an adjunct to https://t.co/9dfmKLuJF7
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Systematic review of 21 papers (23K RA pts) finds 12% w/ difficult-to-treat RA. Risk factors -- smoking (OR 1·16), obesity (1·38), FM (2·20) & depression (1·74). No assoc w/ current smoking or anxiety. https://t.co/BHxyEbSg8Y
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Upadacitinib is now approved in European Union to treat active polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pJIA) ages > 2yrs for those not responding to 1+ DMARDs. In the USA, UPA is approved for pJIA & juvenile PsA https://t.co/Vhx717rw5T https://t.co/OBMdjsegIq
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
The weight is off, the DMARDs are off - now what?
That promised land of substantive weight loss comes within it the illusion of better disease control and, for inflammatory arthritis patients, the possibility of reducing the burden of regular medicines - often driven by the patient, with or without telling you. It is a dream worth aspiring to
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Long-term F/U of T2T Artic trial. 230 DMARD naive pts, 84% ACPA+ 179 (82%) in 10 yr F/U & 82% were in DAS < 1.6 remission 10 yrs later w/ only 17% w/ Xray progression. ~50% on csDMARDs, 30% on bDMARDs. Early aggressive works! https://t.co/ASRrIZqfS5 https://t.co/SykEI4QjPa
Links:
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Mediterranean Diet Lowers Incident Rheumatoid Arthritis Risk
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has published the results of the SUN Project study, showing that long-term adherence to a Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) was associated with a substantially lower risk of incident rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but not psoriasis.
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Residual steroids doesnt preserve remission. Japan FRANK #RA registry 411/3,863 were in Boolean remission - 130 on GC vs 231 non-GC (1/3 on b/tsDMARDs). Roughly 1/3 flared to LDA @12 mos. Outcomes same for GC vs non-GC Rx pts. https://t.co/xPctEjFCLT https://t.co/YIHFaQkzeO
Links:
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Obesity and Psoriatic Disease
Obesity is a clinically important comorbidity in psoriasis (PsO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Excess adiposity contributes to systemic inflammation and cardiometabolic risk and may adversely affect disease severity and response to some systemic https://t.co/WVIqfq8vEj
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Systematic review 14 studies assessed Lung ultrasound (LUS) (vs HRCT) to detect RA-ILD (using threshold of ≥ 5 B-lines) found sensitivity was 86.8% (95% CI 80.1–91.4), specificity 75.4% (95% CI 62.3–85.1), and AUC 0.890 https://t.co/GlNpsPBwtS https://t.co/I4mITEqBI6
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Lifestyle and Incretin Therapy Advice for Rheumatologists
As GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists become standard co-management tools for obese patients with RA, PsA, axSpA, and gout, this JAMA Insights perspective reframes lifestyle counseling as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy - a https://t.co/ltPdGEgQ60
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Rheumatology Pay Up (9.25.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from this past week on RheumNow.com.
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It’s almost time. 🔥
Registration for RheumNow Live 2027 opens OCTOBER 1.
Two days of practical, engaging rheumatology education designed to challenge how you think and influence how you practice.
📅 Jan 30–31, 2027
📍 Dallas + Online https://t.co/Ju0zzYX8Tl
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Early RA Referral Clinics Work (9.18.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from this past week on https://t.co/ofGKCCNQnE
https://t.co/fn0L4goAMT https://t.co/F8QKs7261x
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Obesity in Rheumatic Diseases: More than just a Comorbidity
https://t.co/0QJ188HYSm https://t.co/3L09m2cowl
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Systematic review 14 studies assessed Lung ultrasound (LUS) (vs HRCT) to detect RA-ILD (using threshold of ≥ 5 B-lines) found sensitivity was 86.8% (95% CI 80.1–91.4), specificity 75.4% (95% CI 62.3–85.1), and AUC 0.890 https://t.co/GlNpsPBwtS https://t.co/FJ6B5E5CWy
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Phenotypic cluster analysis of 134 CPPD pts from COLCHICORT & CHRONIC-CPPD European cohorts ID 4 Grps: 1) C1 monoarticular recurrent flares, older, W, ^CRP; 2) C2 monoarticular w persistent arthritis; 3) C3 polyarthritis lower CRP; 4) C4 polyarticular (spine/shoulder( & recurrent https://t.co/ghMCmDLCki
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
True or False: The TriNetX retrospective study found that JAK inhibitors significantly increased VTE risk in rheumatoid arthritis patients undergoing hip or knee replacement compared to TNF inhibitors.
Check your knowledge in the latest RheumIQ quiz at https://t.co/LHFv1P6XZe.
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Lifestyle and Incretin Therapy Advice for Rheumatologists
As GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists become standard co-management tools for obese patients with RA, PsA, axSpA, and gout, this JAMA Insights perspective by Kushner, et al. reframes lifestyle counseling as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy - a reversal of the traditional model. This has with direct
Read ArticleTherapeutic Updates
Make Rheum for Rads: Autoimmune ILD Diagnosis, Monitoring, and the Patient Experience
Sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Drs. Elizabeth Volkmann and Robert Suh explore the roles rheumatologists and radiologists play in diagnosing and monitoring autoimmune ILD and hear from a patient about her experience.
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A JAKi After TNFi Failure in RA: SELECT-SWITCH at Week 12
Sponsored by AbbVie Medical Affairs + Health Impact
Dr. Christina Charles-Schoeman and Dr. Manish Jain are back to discuss treatment considerations after TNFi failure in RA. Join them as they review the latest data from SELECT-SWITCH, including post hoc results in primary and secondary nonresponders presented at EULAR 2026.
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Expert insights on the 2024 ACR Guideline recommendations for lupus nephritis
Sponsored by Aurinia
Two experts in lupus care offer a balanced perspective on applying the updated ACR Guideline recommendations and the clinical nuances of managing lupus nephritis.
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Recent Blogs
The costs of GLP-1 agonists must come down in order to make these treatments available to the people who need them - including many people with rheumatologic diseases.
A few years ago, when I would see a patient with rheumatic disease and increased BMI, I would often document it as obesity as a comorbidity, recommend weight loss and exercise, and then move on. My approach has changed.
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Podcasts
EULAR 2026 RA Topic Panel
RA Topic Podcast compilation
EULAR 2026 Daily Podcast Day 4c
