Autumn 2026 Press Review – Miscellaneous

April 2026 to July 2026

Author: Richard Borrelli

Obexelimab reduces disease flares and glucocorticoid rescue therapy in IgG4-related disease

Della-Torre et al. (10.1056/NEJMoa2601337) evaluated obexelimab in a phase 3, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial including 194 patients with active IgG4-related disease. Obexelimab significantly prolonged time to first disease flare requiring rescue therapy compared with placebo (hazard ratio [HR], 0.44; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.28–0.71; P<0.001). Complete remission at week 52 was achieved in 37.1% versus 19.6% of patients (P=0.005), while cumulative glucocorticoid rescue therapy was also reduced (329.5 mg vs. 929.8 mg; P=0.004).

Secukinumab improves sustained remission and reduces glucocorticoid exposure in polymyalgia rheumatica

Stone et al. (10.1056/NEJMoa2602567) evaluated secukinumab plus a 24-week prednisone taper in 381 patients with recently relapsed polymyalgia rheumatica in a phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Sustained remission at week 52 occurred in 41.2% and 40.6% of patients receiving secukinumab 300 mg and 150 mg, respectively, versus 20.4% receiving placebo (P<0.001 for both comparisons). Mean adjusted annual cumulative glucocorticoid doses were also lower with secukinumab (1603.7 mg, 1683.2 mg, and 2093.0 mg in the 300-mg, 150-mg, and placebo groups, respectively).

Multiomics analysis identifies molecular signatures associated with anemia in rheumatoid arthritis

Huang et al. (10.34133/csbj.0075) integrated metabolomic, microbiomic, and transcriptomic data with machine-learning approaches to investigate rheumatoid arthritis (RA)–related anemia. In a retrospective cohort of 4,114 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 100,934 individuals without rheumatoid arthritis, anemia occurred more frequently among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (P<0.001). Multiomics analyses identified dysregulation of glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism as a molecular signature associated with RA-related anemia. A transcriptomic classifier achieved AUCs (Area Under the Curve) of 0.854 in training and 0.848 in the test set, although 5-fold cross-validation yielded an AUC of 0.658.

Dapirolizumab pegol improves BICLA response in systemic lupus erythematosus

Clowse et al. (10.1016/S0140-6736(26)00691-4) assessed dapirolizumab pegol plus standard care in a 48-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial in patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus. British Isles Lupus Assessment Group-based Composite Lupus Assessment (BICLA) response at week 48 was achieved by 50% versus 35% with placebo (difference, 14.6 percentage points; 95% CI, 3.3–25.8; P=0.011). Subsequent efficacy outcomes, including SRI-4, were not controlled for multiplicity.

Vunakizumab improves signs and symptoms in patients with radiographic axial spondyloarthritis

Zhu et al. (10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.11632) evaluated the anti-interleukin-17A antibody vunakizumab in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2-to-3 trial including 548 patients with active radiographic axial spondyloarthritis. At week 16, Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society 20 (ASAS20) response was achieved by 65.6% versus 42.5% with placebo (difference, 23.2 percentage points; 95% CI, 11.8–34.0; P<0.001), while ASAS40 response was 46.3% versus 24.0% (P<0.001). Radiographic progression was not evaluated, and the effect of vunakizumab on structural progression remains unknown.