Human leucocyte antigen-DRB1*15 haplotypes are strongly associated with delayed drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms in people receiving IL-1 or IL-6 inhibitors for Still’s disease, research suggests.

Treatment with IL-6 receptor antagonists is associated with a reduction in 28-day mortality risk among hospitalized patients with COVID-19, suggest findings from a meta-analysis published in JAMA .

Add-on treatment with an IL-6 receptor inhibitor warrants further investigation for patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia and systemic hyperinflammation, suggest preliminary findings from two Italian observational studies published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases .

Add-on treatment with an IL-6 receptor inhibitor warrants further investigation for patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia and systemic hyperinflammation, suggest preliminary findings from two Italian observational studies published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases .

Different biologic agents targeting the interleukin-6 signaling pathway may have distinct efficacy profiles in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, South Korean researchers report.

Treatment with interleukin-6 receptor blockers could be an effective option for patients with cancer who develop severe arthritis in response to immune checkpoint inhibition therapy, say researchers who describe three such cases in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases .

Serum calprotectin levels could represent a useful biomarker of inflammation in people with rheumatoid arthritis treated with the IL-6 receptor inhibitor tocilizumab, research suggests.

The IL-12/23 inhibitor is administered subcutaneously once every 12 weeks in children and adolescents aged 6–17 years, following loading doses at weeks 0 and 4, with dosing based on bodyweight.

Development of ustekinumab as a potential therapeutic option for systemic lupus erythematosus has been terminated following an interim analysis of the phase 3 LOTUS trial, which demonstrated no benefit of the IL-12/23 inhibitor in this patient population.

Joseph Merola talks about the BE COMPLETE and BE OPTIMAL trials, which showed that the dual IL-17A/IL-17F inhibitor bimekizumab is a promising treatment option for psoriatic arthritis patients with and without prior exposure to TNF inhibitors (6:27).

Joseph Merola talks about the BE COMPLETE and BE OPTIMAL trials, which showed that the dual IL-17A/IL-17F inhibitor bimekizumab is a promising treatment option for psoriatic arthritis patients with and without prior exposure to TNF inhibitors.

Phase 3 SAPHYR study findings suggest that the IL-6 receptor inhibitor sarilumab with glucocorticoid taper is an efficacious treatment option for patients with steroid-resistant polymyalgia rheumatica.

Measuring IL-22 levels may help predict whether IL-17 inhibitors or TNF inhibitors are more suitable for patients with psoriatic arthritis, Japanese research suggests.

At week 32, the primary endpoint of SRI(4) response rate was higher among participants given deucravacitinib 3 mg twice daily, 6 mg twice daily, or 12 mg once daily than in their counterparts given placebo, at 58.2%, 49.5%, and 44.9% versus 34.4%, respectively.

In a previous study – the Drug Repurposing for Effective Alzheimer Medicines (DREAM) initiative – Rishi Desai (Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts) and colleagues identified Janus Kinase (JAK) inhibitors, interleukin (IL)-6 inhibitors, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors as repurposing candidates for reducing ADRD risk based on multiomics phenotyping.

Following the latest announcement, it may now be given to patients aged 6 years and older with active juvenile PsA or enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA) and an inadequate response or intolerance to conventional therapy.

The investigators explain that “Janus kinase (JAK) plays a key role in many signal pathways of cytokines involving the pathogenesis of SS, including type I interferon (IFN) pathway, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-17, IL-12 and IL-23,” leading them to hypothesize that baricitinib may be a promising treatment option.

A monthly selection of topical peer-reviewed articles from the Adis journals, curated by the editors.

How can rheumatologists respond to the challenges associated with rituximab use during the pandemic?

Paakinaho and team explain that both chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine “interfere with lysosomal activity and autophagy, can inhibit both innate and adaptive immune processes and reduce production of inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF).”