WORLD SJOGREN’S DAY 2026:
THE SCIENCE FINALLY CATCHING UP TO THE DISEASE

Every July 23rd, the world pauses to recognise Sjogren's disease. The date honors Henrik Sjögren, the Swedish ophthalmologist whose 1933 doctoral thesis first linked dry eyes, dry mouth, and joint pain together as one condition.

Nearly a century later, that same trio of symptoms still defines the disease for most people. But underneath the surface, 2026 may become the year Sjogren stops being treated as an afterthought.

A Quick Refresher

Sjogren's is a debilitating progressive autoimmune disease. It is the second most prevalent rheumatic autoimmune disease. Here, the immune system mistakenly targets the glands that produce moisture, primarily the tear and salivary glands.

This results in the hallmark of the condition - dryness. Grittiness in the eyes and a mouth that never feels quite wet are usually the first clues.

Fatigue and pain are other underrated features. Many patients describe it as more disruptive to daily life than the dryness itself.

Sjogren's rarely stays local. It can involve the joints, lungs, kidneys, thyroid and nervous system. To further complicate matters, it often travels alongside other autoimmune conditions like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. Patients with this condition also have an increased risk of lymphoma.

Roughly nine in ten patients are women, often diagnosed in midlife. Diagnosis, however, is often delayed by years, since symptoms overlap heavily with normal aging and other conditions.

Where Treatment Has Stood Still

Until now, there has been no approved therapy that changes the course of Sjogren's disease itself. Care has meant managing symptoms - artificial tears, saliva substitutes, and off-label immune-suppressing drugs borrowed from other diseases.

Earlier attempts to test targeted biologic drugs, including rituximab, largely failed to prove their benefit in rigorous trials. Part of the problem wasn't the drugs. It was how the trials measured success, often relying on patients' subjective ratings of dryness or fatigue rather than objective, standardised disease activity scores.

What's Actually New This Year

That measurement problem is finally being solved. Researchers now widely use the EULAR Sjogren's Syndrome Disease Activity Index, a validated tool that captures how active the disease is across organs, not just how dry someone feels.

That shift in methodology has enabled better-designed trials, and in turn are starting to produce real results. In January 2026, the U.S. FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to Ianalumab, a monoclonal antibody developed by Novartis.

Ianalumab works by targeting B cells, the immune cells thought to drive much of Sjogren's underlying damage. It depletes these cells and blocks a signal called BAFF-R, which activates and aids survival of these B cells.

The global, multicenter ianalumab clinical trials currently in Phase III (NEPTUNUS-1 and NEPTUNUS-2), evaluated the safety and efficacy of ianalumab in patients suffering with Sjogren’s disease. Both trials showed an improvement in disease activity and a reduction in patient burden.

Telitacicept, another B-cell-targeting therapy, has also produced positive Phase III results in disease modification for Sjogren’s disease.

If either drug secures full approval, it would mark the first targeted, disease-modifying treatment ever available for Sjogren's. Everything used until now has essentially been borrowed or used as symptomatic treatment.

Why This Matters Beyond the Headlines

A disease-modifying drug doesn't just treat symptoms. It targets the immune mechanism itself and has the potential to slow organ involvement before it becomes serious.

For a disease that has long been under-researched relative to its prevalence, that represents a meaningful shift in priority. Several other potential drug candidates are also moving through trials, suggesting wider and deeper research into this disease.

It is however important to note that none of this means a cure is imminent. Regulatory review takes time, and real-world data will need to confirm what trials suggest.

A Day Worth Marking

World Sjögren's Day is not just for those who suffer from this disease; it is to highlight and create visibility for a disease that hides in plain sight. Hopefully this year, it will mark something rarer: tangible momentum in the lab translating into hope for patients globally.

For millions living with the daily reality of Sjogren's, that distinction is not a small one.

References

1. Novartis. Novartis ianalumab receives FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation for Sjögren's disease. Novartis Media Release, January 16, 2026.
2. Patel V, Salas A, Grader-Beck T. Clinical trials and new therapies in Sjögren's disease. Current Opinion in Immunology. 2026;100.
3. Chaity NJ. A new horizon for Sjögren's disease: the FDA breakthrough therapy designation. Annals of Medicine and Surgery. 2026.
4. Sjögren's Foundation. World Sjögren's Day. sjogrens.org.

Dr. Shankari Sothirachagan
Ophthalmologist and Medical Lecturer
Ophthalmology Department
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
011-35259018
ssrachagan@upm.edu.my

Date of Input: 22/07/2026 | Updated: 22/07/2026 | nadia_rahman