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The World Health Organization (WHO) Essential Medicines List (EML) informs policy makers about which medications should be prioritized and is particularly important for countries with limited resources. However, the EML lacks vital medicines used in paediatric rheumatology, the inclusion of which could transform the lives of many children around the world.
For too long, the definition of ‘remission’ in rheumatoid arthritis has been distorted by the widespread use of an inadequate tool, with consequences for clinical care and for making sense of clinical trial data. Has the time come to move away from DAS28-defined remission?
Cartilage has a limited healing capacity; however, studies into the basic biological characteristics, formation and structural maintenance of the cartilage collagen network are providing explanations for the failure of current therapeutic approaches, urging us to rethink our approach to the regeneration of articular cartilage.
After more than 25 years of development, arthritis gene therapy is finally entering clinical practice. In South Korea, a gene therapeutic has been approved for the treatment of osteoarthritis, and other gene therapeutics are in the pipeline elsewhere. Genetic medicines for arthritis should enter the rheumatological armamentarium in the foreseeable future.