Publications

Heiting et al. investigated whether the initiation of IL-17 blockade with secukinumab improves bone turnover, bone mineral density, and microarchitecture in axSpA patients. Despite symptomatic benefits of therapy with secukinumab, with improvements in pain and function, there were few biochemical, densitometric, or microarchitectural changes in skeletal health over two years of treatment with secukinumab. Larger, longer-term controlled studies using sensitive metrics such as HR-pQCT to follow bone quality are needed to improve our understanding of bone health in axSpA and the relation to disease activity and therapy.

In more than 1500 patients from 13 European countries, Pons et al. demonstrated that secukinumab retention rates after four years were approximately 50% in both axSpA and PsA patients. Pons et al. aimed to assess retention rates and proportions of patients achieving remission and LDA, according to disease activity measures and patient-reported outcomes at 24 and 48 months, in axSpA and PsA patients initiating secukinumab. In this large real-world study, Pons et al., for the first time, report 48-month retention rates as well as rates of remission and LDA. Importantly, b/tsDMARD naïve patients demonstrated higher retention, remission and LDA rates than patients with prior b/tsDMARDs exposure, particularly in axSpA.  

Siderius, et al. found that secukinumab was associated with low spinal radiographic progression. Furthermore, bone-related outcomes and BTMs related to collagen resorption (sCTX, PINP) remained constant during the 2-year period, whereas the BTM related to mineralisation (BALP) decreased significantly.

As part of the GBD 2021, the authors provide updated estimates for the global burden of musculoskeletal disorders, excluding RA, osteoarthritis, low back pain, neck pain, and gout. In 2020, the total years lived with disability globally was estimated to be 42.7 million, which was a 122% increase from 1990. Over the same time period, mortality increased by 199%. The study forecasts an increase in cases by 2050 in all regions, with the exception of Central Europe.

Post-hoc analysis of SPIRIT-P1 and SPIRIT-P2 concludes that ixekizumab (IXE) is effective in improving axial symptoms in patients with active PsA presenting with axial manifestations.

This study concluded that, in r-axSpA, vertebral corner inflammation may lead to syndesmophyte formation but in a minority of cases via visible fat deposition. Here, investigators aimed to determine how much of the effect of vertebral corner inflammation on the development of syndesmophytes is explained by vertebral corner fat deposition.

This study by Tanaka, et al. shows that filgotinib reduces peripheral protein biomarkers associated with JAK/STAT signalling, inflammatory signalling, immune cell migration, and bone resorption in RA patients. Notably, filgotinib 200 mg significantly reduced IL-6, TNF, CXCL13 levels as early as Week 4.

The results from Simon, et al. show that baricitinib treatment correlates with improvements in bone stiffness. Further improvements were also observed at the end of Week 52, with an increase in estimated failure load and no measurable progression in bone erosion being reported.

In this multi-centric, real-world study, persistence with secukinumab and TNFi were not statistically different for matched populations. The primary outcome of this analysis was drug persistence, calculated as the difference in months between initiation and discontinuation.

Post hoc analysis from the FINCH 1 study highlights filgotinib as a potential beneficial treatment option for patients with RA who have had inadequate response to MTX and have high risk of disease progression and poor prognosis.