ACR/ARHP 2017: Research news

The anti-interleukin-6 receptor antibody tocilizumab improves ocular outcomes in the short and long term in patients with severe uveitis related to juvenile idiopathic arthritis, indicates research presented at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, USA.

Results of the phase II FORWARD trial suggest that sprifermin, an investigational recombinant human fibroblast growth factor, may prevent cartilage loss in patients with knee osteoarthritis, but its effect on pain and physical function remains unclear.

An internet-based educational tool developed by Canadian researchers helps adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis to manage their disease and leads to improvements in their health-related quality of life relative to standard disease education.

Results from the extension phase of the SPIRIT-P2 trial suggest that the benefits of treatment with ixekizumab are maintained for up to 1 year among patients with psoriatic arthritis.

Results of a dose-ranging phase II trial support further investigation of the interleukin-23 inhibitor risankizumab for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis.

The interleukin-12/23 inhibitor ustekinumab may be a promising new treatment for systemic lupus erythematosus, phase II trial results suggest.

Results of the SELECT-BEYOND trial suggest that the Janus kinase inhibitor upadacitinib may be a useful treatment option for patients with treatment-refractory rheumatoid arthritis.

Patients with ankylosing spondylitis continue to derive benefits from secukinumab treatment for up to 4 years, suggest study results reported at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, USA.

Patients with active psoriatic arthritis continue to derive clinical benefit from the interleukin-23 inhibitor guselkumab over around a year of treatment, indicate follow-up results from a phase IIa trial.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis who are treated with different biologic therapies have a comparable risk for infection after undergoing elective arthroplasty, study results suggest.

The use of biologic DMARDs for rheumatoid arthritis treatment is not associated with an increased risk for a second malignancy in patients with a history of cancer, Danish study findings indicate.

Results from the phase III FUTURE 5 trial suggest that subcutaneous secukinumab improves disease activity and inhibits radiographic structural progression relative to placebo among patients with psoriatic arthritis.

The use of biologic agents by women with rheumatoid arthritis during pregnancy is not associated with a raised risk for serious or opportunistic infections for their infants, suggests research reported at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, USA.

Results of an observational study suggest that intra-articular corticosteroid injections are associated with an increased risk for progression of knee osteoarthritis.

Results of the ABILITY-3 trial suggest that patients with nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis who achieve sustained remission with adalimumab are likely to benefit from continued treatment with the tumor necrosis factor inhibitor.

Click here for expert comment on the trial 

Phase IIa trial results suggest that treatment with the anti-CD40 monoclonal antibody CFZ533 improves disease activity and is well tolerated in patients with clinically active primary Sjögren’s syndrome.

Serum levels of C-reactive protein before the initiation of biologic therapy may help identify patients with rheumatoid arthritis who are likely to stay in remission after tapering treatment, researchers report.

Rates of death associated with systemic lupus erythematosus do not vary by socioeconomic context among Black people in the USA, research suggests.

Low vitamin D levels are associated with a high risk for end-stage renal disease, thrombosis, and elevated cholesterol in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, pointing to multiple benefits of supplementation, findings indicate.

Longer periods of bisphosphonate treatment discontinuation are associated with an increased risk for hip fracture among older women, US study results suggest.

Click here for an expert comment from Linda Russell from the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York