The Future of Psoriatic Arthritis Treatment
New algorithms and more combination therapeutics are part of the future of psoriatic arthritis care. That’s according to Arthur Kavanaugh, M.D., a rheumatologist with UC San Diego Health who recently presented at the Congress of Clinical Rheumatology East annual meeting held this month.
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New algorithms and more combination therapeutics are part of the future of psoriatic arthritis care.
That’s according to Arthur Kavanaugh, M.D., a rheumatologist with UC San Diego Health who recently presented at the Congress of Clinical Rheumatology East annual meeting held earlier this month.
Chief among the more pressing short-term needs, he said, are more and better strategies for early intervention in people with psoriatic arthritis (PsA).
“If you look at the data for the need for joint replacement, it’s a little bit discouraging,” Dr. Kavanaugh said. “We’d like to think our interventions are preventing the need for joint replacement surgery.”
Treatment algorithms, he said, are on their way to becoming more comprehensive and objective in analyzing all aspects of psoriatic arthritis.
“There’s a big need for optimal treatment algorithms across all domains,” Dr. Kavanaugh said. “How do we sequence drugs? How do we go toward that treat-to-target idea? And where do the different domains fit in? We have a wealth of understanding of efficacy across all domains, but I do think we influence our choice or bring information to the patient to influence their choice based on that.”
Combination therapies, such as bDMARDs combined with a PDa4i, were gaining popularity, and that the trend seems poised to continue for psoriatic arthritis.
“After years of being behind rheumatoid arthritis, I think PsA could be ready to take the lead on combination therapy. Given the involvement across different domains and different efficacy of our operations across domains,” Dr. Kavanaugh said.
He also said that strategies for prediction or prevention, particularly in people with existing psoriatic arthritis, could begin to come into play.
“If we treat psoriasis very effectively, could we prevent PsA? There are so many exciting things I think we’re going to see in the future,” Dr. Kavanaugh said.
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REFERENCE
Congress of Clinical Rheumatology 2020, Destin, Fla. Session: CCR East 2020. 10-1 p.m., Sept. 12. Session: “Psoriatic Arthritis – 2020 Update”
