EULAR 2018: Research news

The addition of abatacept to standard therapy does not increase the rate of complete renal response among patients with lupus nephritis, phase III study findings show.

Patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis who are treated with etanercept do not have a higher risk for developing uveitis than those given methotrexate, results of a UK cohort study suggest.

Belimumab, a B-lymphocyte stimulator specific inhibitor used for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus, has a stable safety profile over 8 years of follow-up, with no new safety signals observed, report researchers.

Depression and anxiety are significant comorbidities in early rheumatoid arthritis and levels change in line with disease activity, shows research.

Researchers have found molecular changes appearing in the synovial tissue that precede rheumatoid arthritis development and may tell us more about the pathogenesis of the disease and treatment targets.

Secukinumab-treated patients with psoriatic arthritis have low rates of radiographic progression irrespective of prior treatment with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors or concomitant methotrexate use, suggests a subgroup analysis of the FUTURE 5 trial.

Researchers have validated a blood test involving B-cell receptor clones that could determine which healthy individuals at risk for rheumatoid arthritis are likely to develop the condition in the short term.

Study results presented at the EULAR 2018 meeting in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, indicate that improvements in joint and skin symptoms seen with risankizumab treatment are maintained for 24 weeks among patients with psoriatic arthritis.

Adding the additional target of no osteitis or bone marrow edema on magnetic resonance imaging to a conventional treat-to-target regimen does not improve the clinical or radiographic outcomes of rheumatoid arthritis patients in clinical remission, IMAGINE-RA study findings show.

The addition of once-daily baricitinib to standard background therapy could improve clinical outcomes in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, phase II trial findings show.

Researchers have found an increased risk for self-harm in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Results from two phase III trials presented at the EULAR 2018 meeting in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, suggest that treatment with the Janus kinase inhibitor upadacitinib alone or in combination with conventional DMARDs may be beneficial for patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

More severe structural disease is associated with an increased risk for depression among patients with radiographic knee osteoarthritis, according to study results presented at the EULAR 2018 meeting in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

The role of tumor necrosis inhibitors in reducing the need for joint replacements in patients with rheumatoid arthritis may be limited to total hip replacements in older patients and those with more severe disease, suggest trial findings.

A live attenuated herpes zoster vaccination is well tolerated and elicits an antibody response among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, results of a placebo-controlled trial suggest.

A 23-year follow-up analysis of the COBRA study has shown a normalization of mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, supporting the benefits of early, intensive treatment.

Researchers have evaluated the risk for developing cancer or serious infection among rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving treatment with Janus kinase inhibitors.

Two-year results from the SURPRISE study show that continued methotrexate treatment is associated with a higher likelihood of maintaining low disease activity among patients with rheumatoid arthritis who stop tocilizumab treatment after achieving remission.