EAU20 Virtual

Dear colleagues,The ACR Convergence 2024 returned to Washington DC between 14 and 19 November and was the first ACR event with boots on the ground hosted in the city since 2016. Just as in 2016, Washington DC was once again the focus of global attention with the election of a new president –who, coincidentally, happened to be the same candidate…

A Dutch study found that adopting a treat-to-target (T2T) strategy focused on achieving remission significantly improved fertility in women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), bringing it closer to that of the general population. No direct relation was found between TNF inhibitor use and fertility.Around three-quarters of RA patients are women, and clinical onset often occurs during their childbearing years. However, RA…

The phase 3 RESET-RA study found that neuroimmune modulation using an implantable vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) device was effective and well-tolerated among adults with active RA and inadequate response or intolerance to at least one biological (b)DMARD or targeted-synthetic (ts)DMARD.The double-blind, randomised-controlled, phase 3 RESET-RA study (NCT04539964) evaluated the safety and efficacy of VNS in patients with moderate-to-severe RA [1]….

A Canadian group of researchers developed 8 machine-learning models to evaluate anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) patterns and titers, identifying 1 model with the best performance for ANA pattern identification. They conclude that machine learning could become a highly effective and efficient aid to reduce variability, increasing laboratory accuracy and efficiency.The presence of ANAs is a classification criterion for RA and other…

The 2024 ACR Guideline for the screening, treatment, and management of lupus nephritis (LN) emphasises the importance of prompt kidney biopsy and LN treatment. Triple therapy is proposed as the most desirable therapy, preferring mycophenolic acid analogue (MPAA) regimens to cyclophosphamide regimens.The 2024 ACR Guideline for LN provides evidence-based and expert guidance for the screening, treatment, and management of LN…

Long-term treatment with anifrolumab may delay the onset of irreversible organ damage and reduce the damage accrual rate in patients with moderate-to-severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), results from an external control arm study suggest.In SLE, persistent disease activity, flares, and long-term glucocorticoid use all contribute to organ damage accrual. It is difficult to evaluate the effects of novel therapies on…

In the phase 3 PHOENYCS GO trial, the novel CD40L inhibitor dapirolizumab pegol significantly reduced disease activity and corticosteroid use in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Dapirolizumab pegol was generally well-tolerated and may become a novel treatment option for SLE, with broad immunomodulatory effects.Dapirolizumab pegol is a novel PEG-conjugated antigen-binding antibody fragment (Fab’) that inhibits CD40/CD40L signalling. Dr Megan…

Data from an ongoing clinical trial suggests that allogeneic CD19-targeting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) natural killer (NK)-cell therapy for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is safe and produces long-lasting efficacy. The authors claimed that the unique biological characteristics of NK cells may provide clinicians with an ‘off-the-shelf’ alternative to treat severe SLE.The investigational therapy known as KN5501 deploys CAR NK cells,…

The experimental, non-opioid, oral agent XG005 inhibits inflammatory and neuropathic signals in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). In a phase 2b trial, XG005 demonstrated robust and consistent efficacy in alleviating OA symptoms and was well-tolerated, making this a promising treatment option for chronic OA.XG005 is a non-opioid, dual-acting conjugate of an NSAID and a calcium channel inhibitor, simultaneously inhibiting inflammatory…

The novel, first-in-class neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) inhibitor LEVI-04 demonstrated significant and clinically meaningful analgesia across all measures for patients with osteoarthritis (OA). A significant improvement was reported for all doses in functional measures and Patient Global Assessment (PGA). The study drug was well-tolerated.LEVI-04 is a proprietary p75 neurotrophin receptor fusion protein (p75NTR-Fc) that modulates the nerve growth factor (NGF) pathway by…