EULAR 2017

The addition of high-dose glucocorticoids to first-line adalimumab and methotrexate in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis fails to further improve efficacy, results of a phase IV study show.

Meta-analysis findings have confirmed an excess risk for cardiovascular events in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, but also show that this excess risk has declined since the year 2000.

Spondyloarthritis-related comorbidities are associated with ankylosing spondylitis, undifferentiated spondyloarthritis, and psoriatic arthritis subtypes of the disease, show study findings.

Researchers have identified baseline predictors of clinical remission in patients with non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis taking tumor necrosis factor inhibitors.

The beneficial effects of abatacept treatment for patients with psoriatic arthritis are maintained for up to 1 year, suggest follow-up results of the ASTRAEA trial presented at EULAR 2017.

Study results suggest that  high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T could be a predictive biomarker of cardiovascular risk among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

In a session at EULAR 2017 providing insights into juvenile idiopathic arthritis heterogeneity, EPOCA data were presented suggesting that geographic variability in JIA epidemiology, treatment, and outcomes may go some way to explaining it, while research deciphering the biologic basis of the condition could help combat it.

Presentations on the final day of EULAR 2017 examined the relationship between diet, obesity, and rheumatologic diseases.

 Findings from the ARTIS study group suggest that biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and tumor necrosis factor inhibitors are not associated with an increased overall cancer risk compared with conventional synthetic DMARDs.

Phase II trial results presented at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR) 2017 support the efficacy of two new compounds for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA).

Clinical trial results presented at EULAR 2017 highlight the growing number of potential treatments for psoriatic arthritis.

A number of sessions at EULAR this year have focused on the efficacy and equivalence of biosimilars for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis; positive findings for two related to the anti-tumor necrosis factor inhibitor adalimumab are reported here.