Key Updates in AxSpA From EULAR 2025

Medscape

07-07-2025

Key updates in therapies for axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA) from the 2025 European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR) annual meeting are reported by Dr Philip Mease of Providence Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, Washington.
Dr Mease opens by reporting on 3-year data for bimekizumab in patients with active AxSpA. Results from the phase 3 BE MOBILE 1, 2, and an open-label extension study, BE MOVING, demonstrated sustained clinical responses for up to 3 years, in which 60% of patients achieved low disease activity. Additionally, a parallel study confirmed sustained improvements in patient-reported outcomes.
He then comments on the German RABBIT registry, which addresses the need to define difficult-to-manage (D2M) and treatment-refractory (TR) subgroups within AxSpA. Results demonstrated that D2M-AxSpA patients are often female, HLA-B27 negative, and have more peripheral symptoms, while TR-AxSpA patients are defined by active inflammation on MRI.
Next, Dr Mease highlights the Bechterew-App trial, which investigated the efficacy of Axia, a new digital therapeutic (DTx) for patients with AxSpA. The trial concluded that the DTx provided significant benefit in disease activity, functional status, and disease-specific quality of life in AxSpA patients whose pharmacotherapy was stable.
Finally, Dr Mease details a novel, highly selective immunotherapy targeting problematic T cells (TRBV9+) in AxSpA and celiac disease, suggesting a potential cell-therapy approach for AxSpA patients.