Fatigue, physical function, pain, and morning joint stiffness are the most important PROs to track, according to the rheumatology patients who experience these symptoms. Increasingly used, alongside clinical measures, to track symptoms and assess disease activity over time, patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are also important indicators of quality of life and treatment effectiveness. To enable us to better understand which PROs patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease consider most imp...

February 2021

Bimekizumab therapy was associated with a rapid and sustained improvement in PASI response and IGA score in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Dual inhibition of IL-17A/F with bimekizumab can affect a more durable response in PsO patients than sole IL-17A inhibition. Gordon et al. compared the safety and efficacy of two different maintenance dosing schedules, in addition to the effects of treatment withdrawal in the 52-week BE READY trial.

January 2021

A significant proportion of people with RA remain symptomatic despite treatment according to current management recommendations. Different terms have traditionally been used to describe this subpopulation, including severe, refractory, resistant to multiple drugs or treatments, established and difficult-to-treat. A recent survey indicated that – in addition to new drugs – new management approaches are needed for optimal treatment in these patients.A EULAR Task Force agreed the uniform terminolog...

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December 2020

Highlights of 2020

Please click the links below to go to the CSF review of each paper

2020 unfolded apace, dominated by COVID-19 - we have all had to adapt in our practice and in our knowledge base. Amid this there have continued to be a constant flow of publications and science in cytokine signaling, and as in previous years as we come the end of 2020, I will highlight some of the notable papers of the year. You can find the most notable papers, as selected by CSF Steering Committee Chair Professor Iain McInnes, with links to their respective detailed summaries below:

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April 2020

The results of ORAL Sequel suggest that the live zoster vaccine (LZV) may not provide adequate long-term protection in patients with RA receiving TOF. This LTE study enrolled 100 patients with RA, 14 weeks post LZV vaccination. Patients received either TOF 5 mg BID, or TOF 10 mg BID in addition to any background csDMARDs. Incidence rates and 95% CIs for HZ post-vaccination were calculated based on time to first event. Short-term varicella zoster vaccine (VZV) specific immunity was evaluated at ...

Blauvelt et al. shows superior and sustained efficacy for risankizumab in maintaining skin clearance over time versus placebo upon withdrawal, alongside a favourable safety profile in chronic plaque psoriasis through a phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, assessing PASI 90 and sPGA score of 0/1 at Week 16.

February 2020

The EULAR recommendations for the management of RA have become increasingly useful in providing rheumatologists, patients, payers and other stakeholders with the evidence-based guidance and views of experts on the optimal use and sequence of pharmaceutical therapies in patients with RA. Over the course of the last decade, the evolution of the treatment landscape has already required two updates. The release of the new addition updates the 2016 recommendations.An international task force consider...

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December 2019

Highlights of 2019

Please click the links below to go to the CSF review of each paper

2019 was another remarkable year in cytokine signalling. We can be optimistic that clinical practice for inflammatory arthritis will continue to improve, with promising long-term safety data supporting the use of established JAK inhibitors; tofacitinib and baricitinib, in addition to exciting phase III clinical data for filgotinib and newly approved upadacitinib. You can find the most notable papers, as selected by CSF Steering Committee Chair Professor Iain McInnes, with links to their respecti...

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January 2019

Occurrences of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in 50, 865 RA patients initiating Tofacitinib (TOF) or a TNF inhibitor (TNFi) was infrequent. No significant risk of VTE for TOF versus TNFi was observed.Safety concerns of JAK inhibitor BARI include potentially increased risk of VTE at the higher 4 mg dose. It’s unclear if this is attributable to JAK-inhibition and extends to TOF. This study compared the risk of VTE with TOF, versus TNFi in real-world settings with RA patients.RA patients initiating T...

December 2018

Professor Iain McInnes Reviews the Most Notable Papers from 2018

Please click the links below to go to the CSF review of each paper

2018 brought a wealth of new data in cytokine signalling and IL-6 that helps inform current clinical practice and brings the promise of new options in the future. There was good data on the use of sub cutaneous tocilizumab as well as strategies in early RA and for methotrexate tapering. For the currently marketed JAK inhibitors, tofacitinib and baricitinib, continuous long-term efficacy and safety data further support its current use and applications. On the development side, the outcomes of the...

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