Rob Volansky

The FDA has granted fast track designation to 4P004, an intra-articular GLP-1 agonist analog, for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis, according to a press release from biotechnology company 4Moving Biotech. The agent, which the company is billing as a potential first-in-class disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug, is engineered for intra-articular administration in patients with synovitis who

Although experts generally support the stated goals of programs targeting rural areas in HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, many have questioned whether the actual policies are up to the task.“Overall, the growing attention on rural health care and the barriers faced by rural residents is music to our ears,” Rebecca J.

DESTIN, Fla. — Combination therapy with multiple biologics may be on the horizon for patients with psoriatic arthritis, according to a presenter at the Congress of Clinical Rheumatology East.“We are doing way better with psoriatic arthritis,” said Arthur Kavanaugh, MD, a rheumatologist and professor of medicine at the University of California San Diego. “We really want

Treatment with ixekizumab plus tirzepatide achieves greater disease control, physical function and weight loss vs. monotherapy in patients with psoriatic arthritis and obesity, according to data published in Arthritis & Rheumatology. “Overweight or obesity is disproportionately prevalent in PsA compared with the general population, with estimates ranging from 72% to 82%,” Joseph F. Merola,

A common gut bacterium may be implicated in lupus kidney disease, and could potentially alter the diagnosis and treatment of lupus nephritis going forward, according to findings published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.“The theory is that the kidney disease in many patients is driven by a single bacteria,” Gregg Silverman, MD, of the New York University Grossman School of

The FDA has released a statement saying it will “carefully shepherd” studies to advance the development of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies in autoimmune and rheumatic diseases.“It is quite important and very welcome that the FDA has publicly published their perspective on these therapies in our space of autoimmune and rheumatic conditions,” Leonard H. Calabrese,

Treatment with biologic or targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs failed to mitigate bone mineral density loss in rheumatoid arthritis, according to data published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.“Because inflammation is considered one of the multiple causes of systemic osteoporosis in RA, it has been hypothesized that suppressing inflammation with [biologic/targeted

In April 2025, the FDA announced plans to shift biomedical research for monoclonal antibodies and other medications away from animal testing toward new approaches. One year later, much speculation remains regarding the impact this decision will ultimately have on research and development, prescribers and patients, and animal welfare.

A patient in China with hepatocellular carcinoma survived 171 days following xenotransplantation with a genetically modified pig liver, the first evidence of the procedure’s feasibility in a living recipient, according to researchers.The study, published in Journal of Hepatology, was conducted in 2024 by Beicheng Sun, MD, PhD, of the department of hepatobiliary surgery at The First

The FDA has approved deucravacitinib for adults with active psoriatic arthritis, according to a press release from Bristol Myers Squibb. Deucravacitinib (Sotyktu), an oral, selective tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) inhibitor has already received FDA approval for adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

Dual therapy with a GLP-1 receptor agonist plus ixekizumab demonstrates long-term benefits in psoriatic disease activity, according to data presented at the Basic and Clinical Immunology for the Busy Clinician symposium.“Psoriatic arthritis seems to have a special place for increased risk for obesity,” said Philip J. Mease, MD, of the Swedish Medical Center and the University of

Patients with type 2 diabetes who received sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors demonstrated a nearly 50% lower risk for systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease vs. those who received dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors, according to data.Meanwhile, neither glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists nor SGLT2 inhibitors bested DPP4 inhibitors for reducing other autoimmune rheumatic

Conventional weight loss strategies like diet and exercise may be necessary in individuals with rheumatic conditions taking GLP-1 receptor agonists, according to a speaker. “These medications lead to rapid weight loss, but when you stop taking them you get weight regain,” said Brian J. Andonian, MD, MHSc, assistant professor of medicine and member of the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute at

More than 80% of patients with newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis, who were using bridging therapy, successfully tapered off prednisolone at 7 weeks, according to data published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.“The study was prompted by the discrepancy between international guidelines,” Gina Hetland Brinkmann, MD, of Diakonhjemmet Hospital, REMEDY Center for treatment of

Retractions in rheumatology literature have increased “substantially” over the past 35 years, largely due to misconduct, according to findings published in Arthritis Care & Research. “Although still relatively low, the rate of retraction in medicine has risen in recent years, with the frequency and causes of retraction varying considerably across medical fields,” Anna Maria Vettori, an

The FDA has introduced a new approval process for targeted individualized therapies, including genome editing and RNA-based therapies, intended to treat rare and ultra rare diseases in which randomized controlled trials are not feasible.HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Martin Makary, MD, MPH, announced the new process, called the “plausible mechanism pathway”

A proposed rule from the Department of Education would limit graduate students enrolled in advanced practice nursing programs to borrowing a maximum of $20,500 per year and $100,000 for life.“This rule is short-sighted, because this is a time in our nation’s health care system where we need more people taking care of patients, not fewer,” Todd Pickard, DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA, FASCO,

Interest in the use and impacts of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists in rheumatology has exploded over the past year, a trend that appeared to crescendo at ACR Convergence 2025. There, attendees watched as at least 15 abstract presenters demonstrated the class’s effects on rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriatic arthritis, osteoarthritis and other rheumatic diseases, compared to just five

A multinational, multidisciplinary group of experts has created a consensus document to guide diagnosis, staging and management of adults with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency-associated liver disease, as well as advance research efforts. Paul Kwo, MD, FAASLD, director of hepatology and professor of medicine at Stanford University, was part of the panel that convened under the auspices of AGA

Stress associated with combat deployment to a war zone among U.S. military service members is a significant factor in the onset of fibromyalgia, according to data published in Arthritis Care & Research. “Fibromyalgia is a complex disorder with many questions remaining despite years of research,” Jay B. Higgs, MD, of the Brooke Army Medical Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, and