April 2026 to July 2026
Author: Iulia–Simona Chirică
Deucravacitinib improves joint responses in active psoriatic arthritis in a phase III trial
Mease et al. (doi: 10.1002/art.70280) randomised 729 patients with active psoriatic arthritis to deucravacitinib, placebo or apremilast in a phase III trial. At week 16, American College of Rheumatology 20% response (ACR20) occurred in 54.2% versus 39.4% with deucravacitinib versus placebo (P=0.0002), with responses maintained through week 52. Serious adverse events through week 16 occurred in 1.9% versus 1.0%, respectively; apremilast served as a safety reference, not a powered efficacy comparator.
Nanoencapsulated sirolimus plus pegadricase improves sustained urate control in uncontrolled gout
Baraf et al. (doi: 10.1002/art.70266) evaluated nanoencapsulated sirolimus plus pegadricase in two double-blind phase III trials involving 265 treated patients with uncontrolled gout. Serum urate remained below 6 mg/dL for at least 80% of weeks 21–24 in 51% with high-dose and 43% with low-dose treatment versus 8% with placebo (both P<0.0001). Infusion reactions within one hour occurred in 4% of actively treated patients; infections and stomatitis were also reported.
National cohort estimates uncertain differences in skin cancer risk between targeted rheumatoid arthritis therapies
Tian et al. (doi: 10.1002/art.70272) compared nonmelanoma skin cancer risk in 3,985 patients with rheumatoid arthritis initiating Janus kinase inhibitors or interleukin-6 receptor inhibitors. Across 116 first cancers, the weighted hazard ratio was 1.64 (95% confidence interval 0.85–3.17), with an absolute rate difference of 3.3 events per 1,000 person-years. Estimates suggested a possible small excess risk with Janus kinase inhibitors, but the association was not statistically significant and residual confounding remains possible.
Higher complement C4 gene copy numbers associate with susceptibility to two forms of vasculitis
Martínez-Gutiérrez et al. (doi: 10.1002/art.70203) analysed complement C4 gene copies in 3,498 patients with giant cell arteritis, 284 with immunoglobulin A vasculitis and 16,867 controls. Higher C4B copy number associated with giant cell arteritis in men (odds ratio 1.23; 95% confidence interval 1.07–1.42), while higher C4A copy number associated with immunoglobulin A vasculitis overall (odds ratio 1.68; 95% confidence interval 1.22–2.30). These genetic associations suggest shared complement-related biology rather than establish treatment targets.
Autoreactive T cell phenotype rather than frequency distinguishes rheumatoid arthritis from healthy autoreactivity
Stanway et al. (doi: 10.1002/art.70235) used spectral flow cytometry to characterise citrullinated peptide-reactive helper T cells in rheumatoid arthritis, at-risk individuals and healthy controls. Cell frequencies did not differ significantly, but untreated patients had more differentiated autoreactive memory cells with features suggesting cytotoxic potential, whereas healthy autoreactivity was predominantly naive. Treatment reduced disease-associated cellular features, supporting further exploration of immune-state biomarkers rather than establishing a validated diagnostic or predictive test.
Iulia–Simona Chirică
Simona is a Rheumatology resident at the Rheumatology Department of Dr. Ion Cantacuzino Clinical Hospital and a PhD fellow at Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest.
Her clinical and research interests focus on inflammatory rheumatic diseases, particularly rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and spondyloarthritis. Her research primarily explores neuropathic-like and nociplastic pain in inflammatory arthritis, including their prevalence, longitudinal evolution and clinical predictors. As part of a EULAR Long-Term Scientific Training Grant at KU Leuven, she contributed to the NEUPIA study, a longitudinal research project investigating different pain phenotypes in patients with inflammatory arthritis. She is a member of the EMEUNET Newsletter Sub-Committee.