Thomas Grader-Beck, MD

Shared Decision-Making and Future Directions in Sjogren’s Disease

In this concluding episode, the panel reflects on the importance of shared decision-making as the treatment landscape for Sjögren’s Disease (SjD) continues to evolve. They emphasize that effective care requires open dialogue about symptoms, treatment goals, and the patient’s daily experience, particularly because fatigue, pain, and dryness affect individuals differently. The panel encourages clinicians to validate patient concerns, avoid minimizing symptoms, and consider the emotional and functional impacts of the disease.

Looking ahead, the group is optimistic about the future, with emerging mechanisms of action, improved biomarkers, and more targeted therapies offering renewed hope for disease-modifying treatment. They highlight the need for ongoing patient education, interdisciplinary collaboration, and continued research to refine patient selection and optimize clinical outcomes. The segment closes with a message of empowerment: patients and clinicians are partners, and together they can navigate complex choices and move toward more personalized and meaningful care in SjD.

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Integrating Emerging Therapies into Clinical Practice for Sjogren’s Disease

In this segment, the panel discusses how clinicians may incorporate emerging therapies into the management of Sjögren’s Disease (SjD) as new agents approach approval. They emphasize the importance of patient stratification, noting that treatment decisions should reflect disease phenotype, degree of systemic involvement, and biomarkers indicating B-cell activation or interferon-driven pathways. As therapies such as BAFF/APRIL inhibitors, CD40–CD40L blockers, FcRn inhibitors, and TYK2 inhibitors progress through trials, clinicians will need to determine which mechanisms match which patient profiles.

The panel also stresses the role of shared decision-making, particularly when introducing newly approved or first-in-class agents. They acknowledge that integrating new treatments will require education, comfort with new safety monitoring processes, and coordination across specialties. Ultimately, the group expresses optimism that these emerging therapies will allow more personalized, targeted, and effective treatment strategies, shifting SjD care from symptomatic management toward true disease modification.

Strategies for Translating Clinical Trial Data into Practice for Sjogren’s Disease

In this episode, the panel discusses how clinicians can effectively apply emerging clinical trial data to real-world management of Sjögren’s Disease (SjD). They emphasize the importance of clearly explaining mechanisms of action in patient-friendly language, helping individuals understand 

 a therapy may be appropriate for their specific disease features, especially given SjD’s heterogeneity. The conversation highlights the role of shared decision-making, where treatment choices are guided not only by disease activity but also by patient priorities related to fatigue, glandular symptoms, systemic involvement, and lifestyle.

The panel encourages clinicians to consider biomarkers, serologic profiles, and systemic manifestations when evaluating new therapies, while acknowledging that not all patients will fit clinical trial populations. They note that ongoing education—both for clinicians and patients—will be essential as new therapies emerge. Ultimately, they advocate for a collaborative, individualized treatment model, integrating evolving evidence with patient goals to improve outcomes and quality of life.

Additional Emerging Therapies in Sjogren’s Disease

In this segment, the panel highlights the growing therapeutic pipeline in Sjögren’s Disease (SjD), emphasizing that multiple investigational agents are now targeting distinct immune pathways. They discuss dazodalibep, a non–B-cell-depleting CD40–CD40L inhibitor shown in recent trials to improve systemic disease activity, dryness, and fatigue while maintaining a favorable safety profile. The panel then reviews FcRn inhibitors, including nipocalimab and efgartigimod, which work by reducing circulating IgG autoantibodies—an approach that may be particularly beneficial for patients with high autoantibody-driven disease.

They also cover telitacicept, a dual BAFF/APRIL inhibitor that targets B-cell and plasma cell survival pathways, showing promising phase 3 results in patients with systemic features such as hypergammaglobulinemia and glandular swelling. Finally, they discuss deucravacitinib, a TYK2 inhibitor that modulates type I interferon and IL-12/23 signaling, pathways strongly implicated in SjD gene expression profiles. The panel expresses optimism that these diverse mechanisms may allow more personalized, biomarker-driven treatment strategies moving forward.

Thomas Grader-Beck, MD

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