6 Rheumatology Headlines You Missed in July 2025

In July, a wave of new data advanced the understanding and treatment of psoriatic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and fibromyalgia, with several therapies showing potential to reshape clinical care. Tildrakizumab and deucravacitinib both met primary endpoints in phase 3 PsA trials, while guselkumab became the first IL-23 inhibitor to demonstrate inhibition of structural joint damage progression. Zasocitinib, a TYK2 inhibitor, showed strong efficacy across ACR and skin endpoints in PsA with a favorable safety profile, and dapirolizumab pegol significantly improved disease activity and fatigue in SLE, doubling rates of low disease activity versus standard of care. In fibromyalgia, GLP-1 receptor agonists were associated with reduced opioid use and symptom burden in a large matched cohort analysis, pointing to a novel therapeutic approach beyond traditional analgesics.

Check out this July 2025 rheumatology month in review for a recap of HCPLive’s coverage of the top news and research from the past few weeks:

1. DZP Significantly Improves Disease Activity, Fatigue in People With SLE

Dapirolizumab pegol (DZP) significantly improved disease activity and fatigue in patients with moderate-to-severe SLE, with 40.9% achieving low disease activity at Week 48 compared to 19.6% on standard of care (SOC) alone (P <.0001), according to phase 3 PHOENYCS GO trial data presented at EULAR 2025.
These findings highlight DZP’s potential to achieve key treat-to-target goals such as LLDAS and DORIS remission while minimizing glucocorticoid use.

2. Zasocitinib Data Demonstrates Efficacy of TYK2 Inhibition for Psoriatic Arthritis

In a phase 2b trial, zasocitinib 30 mg and 15 mg significantly improved ACR20 responses at week 12 in patients with active psoriatic arthritis (54.2% and 53.3%, respectively, vs. 29.2% with placebo; P = .002), with additional numeric gains seen in ACR50, ACR70, PASI 75, and MDA rates. The drug’s safety profile remained manageable with no new safety signals, supporting TYK2 inhibition as a promising, targeted, and potentially safer oral treatment pathway for PsA; phase 3 trials are currently underway.

3. Fibromyalgia Pain: The Next Frontier for GLP-1 RAs?

In a large propensity-matched cohort study, GLP-1 receptor agonists were associated with a significantly lower risk of opioid use in fibromyalgia patients (OR, 0.600; risk difference, -12.6%; P <.001), along with reductions in fatigue, malaise, and chronic pain symptoms. Patients receiving GLP-1 RAs also showed decreased reliance on ongoing fibromyalgia care (OR, 0.512; risk difference, -16.6%; P <.001), though BMI and A1c improvements were more pronounced in the non-GLP-1 RA group.

4. TYK2 Inhibitor Deucravacitinib up for FDA Review for Psoriatic Arthritis

The FDA accepted Bristol Myers Squibb’s sNDA for deucravacitinib in active psoriatic arthritis with a PDUFA date of March 6, 2026, based on phase 3 POETYK PsA trials showing 54.2% of patients achieved ACR20 at week 16 versus 34.1% with placebo (P <.0001). The TYK2 inhibitor also significantly improved PASI 75 response, physical function, fatigue, and radiographic progression, with no new safety signals and a low rate of serious adverse events.

5. Pivotal Tildrakizumab Trials Meet Endpoint for Psoriatic Arthritis

Tildrakizumab 100 mg met its primary endpoint in both INSPIRE-1 and INSPIRE-2 phase 3 trials by significantly improving ACR20 response rates at week 24 versus placebo (P <.05) in patients with active psoriatic arthritis. The IL-23 inhibitor also showed improvements in ACR50, ACR70, and PASI75 with a safety profile consistent with previous psoriasis trials, reinforcing its potential as a PsA treatment option.
6. J&J Seeks New Guselkumab Label Reflecting Inhibition of PsA Joint Damage

Johnson & Johnson has submitted an sBLA to expand guselkumab’s label to include new phase 3b APEX data showing significant inhibition of structural joint damage progression in active psoriatic arthritis, with mean modified vdH-S score changes of 0.55 (Q4W) and 0.54 (Q8W) versus 1.35 with placebo (P = .002 and P <.001, respectively).