2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: What to Expect

Rheumatology Advisor will provide live coverage of the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, November 3-8 in San Diego, California. The meeting, held by the American College of Rheumatology, will offer more than 450 sessions and thousands of abstracts, and will feature lectures on the latest developments in rheumatic disease diagnosis and management, the application of the new technological advancements in patient care, and the latest research data in the field.

One of the centerpieces of the 2017 ACR/ARHP meeting will be its annual session, “The Great Debate,” which will take place on Sunday, November 5, at 2:30pm local time. This year’s focus will be “Biosimilars: To Switch or Not to Switch?” in which Jonathan Kay, MD professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, and Roy Fleischmann, MD, clinical professor of medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, will address the pros and cons associated with switching patients to biosimilar drugs.

The Great Debate session will include the latest data available to support safety, efficacy, and cost effectiveness of biosimilars compared with originator biologics. Attendees will also learn about issues regarding immunogenicity and multiple switches between biosimilars in individual patients.

Dr Kay will present the “pro” argument about the usefulness of biosimilars for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, while Dr Fleischmann will present the “con” argument, describing why biosimilar research may have not yet provided enough evidence to warrant switching with confidence.

The 2017 ACR/ARHP meeting also designates unique educational tracks to enable attendees to select the most relevant content for their specific specialties. The Basic Science track, intended for researchers, will include such sessions as:

• From Genes to Therapy in Autoimmune Diseases
• Development of the Synovial Joint: Implications for Arthritis
• Precision Medicine for Rheumatic Disease
• Understanding Chronic Pain Mechanisms Through Advanced Neuroimaging

A Clinical Practice/Science track, intended to assist clinicians, practice managers, and other health professionals in research findings, will include such sessions as:

• Controversies in Sjögren’s Syndrome
• Difficult to Treat SLE
• Giant Cell Arteritis in 2017: Diagnosis & Management
• Spondylarthropathy: An Update
• X-ray Challenges in Rheumatic Diseases

Additionally, a Business/Administration track will offer sessions about the business aspects of rheumatology practice, including:

• Improve Office Dynamics: What’s Your Communication Sign?
• Intro to Advocacy: First Steps, Social Media & Technology
• Performance-Based Contracting: Emerging Issues & Considerations

Stay with Rheumatology Advisor for live coverage of the ACR/ARHP 2017annual meeting beginning on November 5, 2017.

Reference

2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting. American College of Rheumatology website.  https://www.rheumatology.org/Annual-Meeting. Accessed October 23, 2017.