REPLENISH: Secukinumab for Polymyalgia Rheumatica

Secukinumab doubled sustained remission at 52 weeks in relapsed polymyalgia rheumatica — 41% versus 20% on a prednisone taper alone — and halved the need for escape steroid. But 150 mg worked as well as 300 mg, the component data show the drug maintains remission rather than inducing it, and roughly six in ten treated patients still did not reach the endpoint.

August 13, 2026 · 9 min

Drug- and Vaccine-Induced ANCA-Associated Vasculitis

A 2026 overview of drug- and vaccine-induced ANCA-associated vasculitis — clinically near-indistinguishable from idiopathic AAV, but with a recognisable serological fingerprint (dual MPO/PR3 positivity, elastase-ANCA, high IgM MPO-ANCA, low C4, neutropenia), a milder course, and one intervention no immunosuppressant can substitute for: stopping the drug. Antithyroid drugs, hydralazine and levamisole-adulterated cocaine dominate practice.

July 29, 2026 · 16 min

Early Methylprednisolone Pulses and Long-Term Damage in Active SLE

A propensity-score analysis of the Lupus–Cruces–Bordeaux inception cohort: early (first-year) methylprednisolone pulses were associated with a ~40% reduction in long-term irreversible damage or death in active SLE, with benefit concentrated in moderate–severe disease — likely reflecting an MP-anchored low-steroid strategy rather than the molecule alone.

June 28, 2026 · 7 min

Screening, Monitoring and Treatment of ILD in Systemic Sclerosis

A 2026 practical distillation of the 2023 ACR/CHEST guidelines on SSc-ILD — the single leading cause of death in systemic sclerosis. Covers proper screening (full PFTs + non-contrast HRCT), monitoring schedules, the first-line drug evidence (mycophenolate, tocilizumab, rituximab, nintedanib), and the strong recommendation against glucocorticoids.

June 26, 2026 · 7 min

Fertility, Pregnancy and Lactation in Women with SLE

A 2026 narrative review of fertility, pregnancy and lactation in SLE — the bidirectional disease–pregnancy relationship, the immunobiology of placental injury, and contemporary peri-conception, pregnancy and lactation care anchored to BSR, EULAR and ACR guidance, including a drug-by-drug safety framework.

June 14, 2026 · 8 min

EULAR 2025 Recommendations for the Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis

The 2025 EULAR update streamlines RA management to 5 overarching principles and 9 recommendations, abandons post-methotrexate prognostic risk stratification, and keeps JAK inhibitors co-equal with biologics after individual risk assessment.

June 5, 2026 · 8 min

Recombinant Zoster Vaccine in Inflammatory Rheumatic Disease — Efficacy, Long-Term Protection and Safety Under Immunosuppression

A 2026 RMD Open narrative review of recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) in inflammatory rheumatic disease — robust efficacy across IRD cohorts (~95% reduction in HZ recurrence; 54–70% effectiveness in SLE), no meaningful short-term flare signal in RCT data, and a practical drug-by-drug timing framework spanning csDMARDs, biologics, JAK inhibitors and B-cell depletion.

May 25, 2026 · 11 min

A Phase 3 Trial of Brepocitinib in Dermatomyositis (VALOR Trial)

The VALOR phase 3 trial shows that brepocitinib 30 mg daily — a selective TYK2–JAK1 inhibitor — significantly improves composite disease activity, skin involvement, and muscle strength while enabling steroid discontinuation in adults with treatment-refractory dermatomyositis, marking the first successful phase 3 RCT of an oral targeted agent in this disease.

May 20, 2026 · 8 min