Rob Volansky

WASHINGTON — Preexisting autoimmune diseases do not increase mortality risk in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors for cancer, according to data presented at ACR Convergence 2024. “The objective of this study was to assess mortality risk in a national cohort of patients with preexisting autoimmune diseases being treated with immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy,”

WASHINGTON — A 15 mg/kg dose of the neonatal fragment crystallizable receptor blocker nipocalimab outperformed placebo in improving Sjögren’s disease activity at 24 weeks, according to data presented at ACR Convergence 2024.“Currently there are no immunomodulatory therapies that target the systemic manifestations of the disease that are approved for Sjögren’s,”

WASHINGTON — Upadacitinib 15 mg is superior to placebo for achieving sustained remission in giant cell arteritis across patient subgroups based on age, sex and glucocorticoid experience, according to data presented at ACR Convergence 2024.“There is interest in how this drug works in subgroups of patients,” Peter Merkel, MD, of the division of rheumatology, in the department of

WASHINGTON — The correlation between autoantibodies and new-onset autoimmune disease in individuals with long COVID symptoms remains “controversial,” according to a speaker at ACR Convergence 2024. “Disclaimer: This is a controversial topic,” Leonard H. Calabrese, DO, professor of medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, at Case Western Reserve

From 2011 to 2019, the proportion of rheumatologists who reported using in-house pharmacies exploded, from 4% to 22% — a more than fivefold increase.These findings, published earlier this year in JAMA Network Open by Pragya Kakani, MD, and colleagues, originate from a cross-sectional study of data from more than 8 million patients, including 20% of all beneficiaries enrolled in

WASHINGTON — Addressing burnout in rheumatology will require attention to personal exhaustion and depersonalization, as well as systemic business-of-medicine issues, according to a speaker at ACR Convergence 2024. Leonard H. Calabrese, DO, professor of medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, RJ Fasenmyer chair of clinical

WASHINGTON — Children with lupus from areas of lower socioeconomic opportunity experience more severe disease complications and poorer outcomes than those from higher opportunity areas, according to data presented at ACR Convergence 2024. “Co-author Joyce Chang, MD, MSCE, led a prior study using data collected through the Pediatric Health Information System to examine outcomes for

WASHINGTON — Among patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases, circulating interleukin-18 levels were lower in those with long COVID vs. those without, according to data presented at ACR Convergence 2024. “We were interested to see if inflammatory cytokines were associated with long COVID among patients with rheumatic disease,” Jeffrey Sparks, MD, of Brigham and

WASHINGTON — A focus on patient follow-up, standardized medication adherence and barriers assessments can reduce racial and ethnic disparities in juvenile idiopathic arthritis, according to a speaker at ACR Convergence 2024. “We know that JIA outcomes are suboptimal and that racial/ethnic disparities exist, which are not simply biological,” Dori Abel, MD MSHP, attending

WASHINGTON — Addressing economic insecurities through a social worker “could improve” physical function and other patient reported outcomes in systemic lupus erythematosus, according to a speaker at ACR Convergence 2024. “Key social determinants of health that drive poor patient reported outcomes (PROs) are not fully elucidated,” Shivani Garg, MD, assistant professor

WASHINGTON — Patients with inflammatory arthritis who receive rituximab, interleukin-6 inhibition or Janus kinase inhibitors demonstrate higher severe infection risks vs. TNF inhibitors, according to data presented at ACR Convergence 2024. “This study was prompted by the need to better understand the risks for severe infections associated with different biologic and targeted synthetic

WASHINGTON — Withholding Janus kinase or interleukin-17 inhibitors from patients with rheumatoid arthritis or spondyloarthritis does not significantly benefit COVID-19 booster response, according to data presented at ACR Convergence 2024. “This trial, COVER, is a pragmatic platform trial conducted under a master protocol that randomized patients with rheumatoid arthritis or

WASHINGTON — Whether through advocacy on Capitol Hill, helping women advance their careers, or addressing the rheumatology workforce shortage, American College of Rheumatology President Deborah Dyett Desir, MD, believes in “giving back.”“The grand promise of the ACR is that we are there for you, so you can be here for your patients,” Desir, who is also an associate

WASHINGTON — Lorecivivint is superior to placebo for improving pain, function and structure at 12 months and beyond in patients with knee osteoarthritis, according to data presented at ACR Convergence 2024.“Our previous studies of lorecivivint have shown benefit on pain, function and structure, with the longest study being 1 year,” Yusuf Yazici, MD, clinical associate professor

WASHINGTON — Despite the heated “rhetoric” regarding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, the idea that predominantly white organizations are resentful of DEI programs is incorrect, according to the ACR Convergence 2024 keynote speaker. “[DEI] is not going away, because it betters their communities,” Dwinita Mosby Tyler, PhD, founder and chief catalyst at the

Despite a lack of “gold standard” evidence surrounding cannabis use for musculoskeletal pain, rheumatologists must not turn a blind eye to how such products are used by their patients in the real world, according to researchers. “Most evidence for the medical use of cannabinoids in rheumatic diseases has been accrued from patient surveys, cohort studies and a handful of

Systemic sclerosis is the most challenging diagnosis to make among rheumatic and autoimmune conditions, according to 91% of respondents in a market analysis from Spherix Global Insights.“I agree with the survey responses in that the rheumatologists highlighted systemic sclerosis as the most challenging diagnosis and the most challenging disease to manage in practice,” Dinesh Khanna,

Chromosomal, hormonal and structural differences between the bodies of girls and boys may explain why osteoarthritis incidence is elevated in women vs. men later in life, according to a review published in Osteoarthritis & Cartilage. In their article, Paula A. Hernandez, PhD, instructor and principal investigator in the department of orthopedic surgery and the department of biomedical

The largest retailer in the nation has sampled a taste of the autoimmune specialty pharmacy market, and has decided it wants more. Walmart this past summer announced that it will open 25 new autoimmune-focused “specialty pharmacies of the community” across five states, bringing its total of autoimmune specialty pharmacies to 31 across nine states.

SAN DIEGO — Improving depressive symptoms can reduce patients’ chronic pain, according to a presenter at the 2024 Congress of Clinical Rheumatology West. “I want to take you through the practical aspects of managing patients with pain and depression,” Michael R. Clark, MD, MPH, MBA, chair of psychiatry in the Inova Health System, in Virginia, and a faculty member at the