Ixekizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody currently approved in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. We caught up with Dr Alan Menter (Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA) to discuss the aims, design, inclusion criteria and main findings of a post-hoc analysis conducted on trials studying the use of ixekizumab in adult and paediatric patients […]

Effisayil 1 (NCT03782792) was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 study that investigated the efficacy and safety of spesolimab in generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP). touchIMMUNOLOGY were delighted to speak with Dr. Claudia De La Cruz (Clínica Dermacross, Santiago, Chile) to discuss the aims, design and findings from Effisayil 1 and the impact spesolimab has already […]

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the joints resulting in pain, stiffness and an increased fracture risk in patients, the treatment paradigm has many unmet needs in terms of preventing progression, with anti-osteoporosis drugs failing to meet endpoints in clinical trials. touchIMMUNOLOGY caught up with Dr. Nancy Lane (University of California at Davis School of […]

PoCOsteo is a point-of-care tool that provides rapid genomic and proteomic analysis of the blood for the early detection and management of osteoporosis. It was a pleasure to talk with Dr. Patricia Khashayar (Ghent University, Gent, Belgium) to discuss the importance of the early detection of osteoporosis in management, the overall objective of the PoCOsteo […]

Systemic rheumatic diseases (RDs) commonly arise during a woman’s reproductive years and may have implications for family planning and pregnancy. Among the RDs, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) are classically associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs), including miscarriage, foetal loss, preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and preterm delivery.1–4 Although SLE pregnancy outcomes have improved over time, maternal mortality remains higher in women […]

Spondyloarthritides are chronic rheumatic diseases associated with diverse extra-articular manifestations, such as psoriasis, uveitis and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), namely Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Historically, spondyloarthritis (SpA) was divided into several subcategories, namely, ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis, enteropathic arthritis, reactive arthritis and undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy. Given the possible overlap between these different entities, it is now preferred to use a phenotypic classification, […]

Article highlights Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis remains a challenge, and new interleukin (IL) 6 inhibitors deserve special attention. IL-6 provides pleiotropic effects not only on the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis but also on its comorbidities. The humanized monoclonal antibody olokizumab has a special mode of action by directly suppressing IL-6 (site III). The safety and efficacy of olokizumab were confirmed in large international randomized trials both in biologically naïve patients […]

Many environmental factors have been associated with the development of autoimmunity.1 Infections, for example, can cause reactive arthritis by triggering a (genetically) predisposed immune system.2 Smoking, in a similar, but arguably different, way, can trigger the production of autoantibodies by inducing citrullination of proteins.3,4 Exposure to silica dust, which is a crystalline derivate of quartz commonly found in construction materials and mining activities, has been shown to cause […]