Dr Jack Cush and his podcast friends are out to change the world. Here is his weekly review of the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.

1. Global burden of #OA among postmenopausal women continues to escalate. From1990 to 2021, was > 1.3-fold increases in OA incidence, prevalence, DALYs. Knee OA has heaviest burden; hip OA least. Higher BMI signif influences the burden of OA https://t.co/L6qd7ISFF8
2. Metanalysis of 376 studies, 347 468 pts w/ chronic pain (mean 51yrs; 70%F) finds ~40% had clinically significant depression and anxiety (more common in Women, younger people, pts w nociplastic pain). Depression common in FM (54%) & OA/RA (~28%). https://t.co/s1tcgC3y7k
3. Sobi announced it has submitted to FDA a supplemental (sBLA) for Gamifant (emapalumab-Izsg) for use in adult & kids w/ hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH)/macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) in Still’s disease with an inadequate response glucocorticoids, or with recurrent… https://t.co/PLpcD5jzxH
4. Still’s Dz Afro-Caribbean study of 58 pts (57% AOSD). Sex differed betw kids F 36% vs F71% in adults. Kids had signif more typical skin rashes (100 vs 29%), coronary artery dilation (16 vs 0%), & MAS (52 vs 9%). Adults signif more polyarthalgia (91 vs 32%) & lung dz (51 vs 4%).… https://t.co/AYKNazgio5
5. With GLP-1 agonists, is there a risk of aspiration during gen. anesthesia. Most advise against elective surgery/anesthesia unless the GLP-1 is held for 1-2 weeks. Based on MOA of delayed gastric emptying – 7/8 studies show Incr residual gastric contents in GLP-1, but none… https://t.co/U690OmeqJm
6. Study of sarcopenia in 138 young adults with inflammatory arthritis (IA) found sarcopenia in ~47% of IA- Signif different between JIA, SpA, & RA. W/ multivariable analysis, predictors of sarcopenia included BMI (OR 0.84), BMD (OR 0.01), vit D (OR 0.96) & HAQ (OR 14.5)… https://t.co/JHKwF8icj1
7. A Veterans study of 27,540 #RA pts shows the risk of multiple myeloma (MM) did not differ b/tsDMARD & csDMARD users. 30% took b/tsDMARD during follow-up (192,000 PYs). MM incidence rate: b/tsDMARD-naïve 0.37/1000PYs vs csDMARDs 0.42/1000PYs (HR 1.32; 0.78, 2.26)… https://t.co/Xp4v4eIQnd
8. Late Breaking abstract from 2025 Amer. Acad. Dermatology (AAD) on the Phase 3 ICONIC-LEAD study showed J&J’s oral IL-23 inhibitor (icotrokinra) was superior to deucravacitinib in skin clearance (65% vs 8%) & PASI90 (50% v 4%) at Wk 15 in 684 moderate-to-severe plaque PsO pts… https://t.co/GYK604kJ9u
9. Can you distinguish which PsA? Persistent inflammatory (PIPsA) vs non-inflammatory PsA (NIPsA)? NIPsA has normal ESR/CRP, w/ obesity, biomechanical pain, OA, fibromyalgia, secondary post-inflam damage or central pain mechanisms. https://t.co/9SRmpNfXCF
10. BMS announced new data from Phase 3 POETYK PsA-2 trial – Sotyktu (deucravacitinib)vs apremilast vs PBO in PsA w/ higher ACR20 vs PBO at Week 16 (54% vs 39%). AEs led to discontinuation in 1.3% (PBO), 2.2% (Deuc) and 10.5% (apremilast). https://t.co/NAa2JigkZN
11. Hydroxychloroquine and Sjögren’s – despite widespread use, there is not good data showing HCQ efficacy in Sjogrens. Although safe and may lower Ig levels – 3 RCTs found no clinical benefit, but retrospective & open-label studies did https://t.co/8l1gZoKqFA
12. Metanalysis of cancer risk w/ abatacept vs placebo or TNFi in #RA. (18 RCTs, 10 LTE, 15 535 PYs ABA exposure) show no signif increase in malignancy for ABA vs PBO (IRR 0.58) or TNFi (IRR 0.72). Observational data ABA > other b/tsDMARDs (IRR 1.21; 1.15–1.28), but not csDMARDs… https://t.co/2aBfwyKv0e
13. DANBIO registry study – 21 982 Rx Starts, 96 475 PYs & 1423 cancers identified. Overall cancer risk w/in tocilizumab/sarilumab, abatacept or rituximab were not signif increased (HRs ranged from 0.7 to 1.1) compared with TNFi & with bDMARD-naïve real world RA pts… https://t.co/fPLFlWoQsw
14. Channeling Bias and Cancer Risk with Biologic or Targeted Synthetic DMARDs 
15. Are Combination Biologics Safe?  
16. 2024 Rheumatology Year in Review 
17.  “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”          – Margaret Mead

Author: