#3-62E. Unmasking New Culprits: Drug-Induced Raynaud’s Phenomenon and Novel Safety Signals (ArthritisRheumatol, 2026)

Could your patient's worsening Raynaud’s phenomenon be linked to their novel migraine or cancer therapy? This episode explores a significant disproportionality analysis from the World Health Organization pharmacovigilance database, which investigated over 4,400 case reports to uncover previously unknown drug associations with Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP). The study identifies robust safety signals for agents such as calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) inhibitors and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), implicating them as potential new pharmacological triggers for secondary RP beyond well-known offenders like beta-blockers. While these findings offer vital insights into drug-induced vascular toxicity, critical appraisal is necessary; the study's reliance on spontaneous reporting systems introduces inherent limitations, particularly reporting bias and potential confounding by indication, such as the underlying migraine or malignancy itself. Nevertheless, for physicians, this evidence is clinically pivotal as it expands the differential diagnosis for RP, prompting clinicians to consider medication review for patients on these newer therapies who present with unexplained digital ischemia.

Citation: Hlavaty A, et al. Drug-Induced Raynaud’s Phenomenon and Underlying Mechanism: A Disproportionality Analysis From the World Health Organization Pharmacovigilance Database. Arthritis & Rheumatology. 2026. DOI: 10.1002/art.43442

Disclaimer: This audio summary is based on personal interpretation and does not guarantee the exact content of the original paper. Please refer to the original article for details.