December 2025 to March 2026
Author: Cecile Philippoteaux
Smoking, but not obesity, associated with reduced secukinumab retention in patients with psoriatic arthritis
Ahmadzay et al. investigated the impact of smoking and body mass index (BMI) on secukinumab retention at 12 months and DAPSA28 low disease activity (LDA) achievement at 6 months in 1202 European patients with psoriatic arthritis. Adjusted hazard ratios (HR) for treatment withdrawal were numerically higher in former (HR 1.32; 95% CI 1.00–1.75) and current smokers (HR 1.27; 0.93–1.74) versus never smokers. Response rates were 56%, 61%, and 49% in never, former, and current smokers respectively. No significant association was found between BMI category and either retention or LDA achievement, although each unit increase in BMI was associated with marginally lower odds of achieving DAPSA28 LDA (OR 0.97; 0.94–1.00).
Interferon-related gene signature predicts anti-TNF response in rheumatoid arthritis via meta-analysis and machine learning
Choi et al. combined meta-analysis of 8 blood transcriptome datasets (341 patients with rheumatoid arthritis; 172 responders, 169 non-responders) with machine learning to identify predictors of anti-TNF response. A core set of 39 recurrently upregulated genes, enriched for type I interferon signaling, achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.76 (±0.03) in internal cross-validation and 0.77 (95% CI: 0.48–0.98) in external validation, outperforming both the full transcriptome (AUC 0.71) and compact gene panels. The ensemble model (random forest + XGBoost + logistic regression) yielded a sensitivity of 0.98 and a specificity of 0.96 in the training cohort. Two genes, IFI44L and IFIT1, were consistently identified across meta-analysis, patent curation, and effect-size prioritization strategies, highlighting their potential as companion diagnostic biomarkers for TNF inhibitor therapy.
Older age, insurance type and lower gross domestic product (GDP) among key drivers of b/tsDMARD access disparities
Wright et al. conducted a scoping review of 104 observational studies examining disparities in access to and use of biologic and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) in inflammatory rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (iRMDs). Older age negatively affected likelihood of receiving b/tsDMARDs in 43% of relevant publications, government-funded insurance (Medicare/Medicaid) in 6 studies, and lower gross domestic product (GDP) per capita reduced access in 53% of access-reporting studies. Female sex was the most consistent predictor of reduced treatment persistence (48% of relevant publications). Heterogeneity across studies limited firm conclusions.
Tocilizumab biosimilar RGB-19 demonstrates equivalent efficacy and comparable safety in active rheumatoid arthritis
Matsuno et al. evaluated biosimilar RGB-19 versus reference tocilizumab in a phase 3 randomised trial of 368 Japanese adults with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) inadequately responding to methotrexate. The mean difference in DAS28-ESR change from baseline at week 12 was -0.21 (95% CI: -0.43 to 0.02), within the predefined equivalence margin of ±0.6. ACR20/50/70, remission rates, pharmacodynamic parameters, and immunogenicity were comparable through week 52, with similarly low rates of treatment-emergent antidrug antibodies (RGB-19: 2.2%; tocilizumab: 4.3%).
B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) agonist venanprubart fails to demonstrate clinical efficacy in active systemic lupus erythematosus
Ghosh et al. reported a phase 2 trial of venanprubart, a B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) agonist antibody, in 85 patients with moderately-to-severely active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), terminated early for futility. At week 24, remission of rash and/or arthritis was achieved in 11.9% versus 20.9% with placebo (P=0.452), with no significant differences in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index-4 (SLEDAI-4) or Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Responder Index-4 (SRI-4) response rates (9.5% vs 16.3%, P=0.520). Despite near-complete BTLA receptor occupancy throughout, molecular changes did not translate into clinical benefit.
Cécile Philippoteaux
Cécile Philippoteaux is a physician and clinical fellow in the Rheumatology Department at Lille University Hospital, France. Her clinical and research interests primarily focus on bone diseases, including secondary osteoporosis, rare and constitutional bone disorders, and the use of real-world data for outcomes research. She is currently pursuing a PhD in medical informatics and epidemiology. Her work leverages the French nationwide health claims database to study pharmaco-epidemiological and prognostic aspects of bone diseases, such as drug-induced osteoporosis, fracture risk prediction, and comorbidity profiles in rare skeletal disorders. Cécile is an active member of the young division working group of the French Society of Rheumatology (SFR) and a member of the EMEUNET Newsletter Sub-Committee.