Just One in Ten Rheumatologists Satisfied with Current Systemic Sclerosis Treatments as Emerging Therapies Raise Expectations, According to Spherix Global Insights

New research highlights growing optimism for disease-modifying therapies, even as physicians weigh the transformative potential of cell therapy against safety and practical considerations; Novartis' ianalumab emerges as a leading non-cell therapy contender.

Exton, PA, Oct. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With few satisfactory treatment options and a growing pipeline of investigational therapies, the systemic sclerosis (SSc) treatment landscape may be approaching a meaningful inflection point. New research from Spherix Global Insights reveals that U.S. rheumatologists are increasingly looking beyond traditional approaches focused on managing individual disease manifestations, although uncertainty remains around which emerging therapies will ultimately reshape clinical practice.

Findings from Spherix's just published Market Dynamix™: Systemic Sclerosis (US) 2026 study underscore the magnitude of the unmet need. Only one in ten rheumatologists express satisfaction with currently available treatments, while more than six in ten anticipate that emerging therapies will have a substantial impact on their clinical practice over the next three to five years. Reflecting this growing demand for more effective options, physicians now consider more than half of their SSc patients potential candidates for a new advanced systemic therapy, an increase from 2024.

High Unmet Need Fuels Expectations for Disease-Modifying Advances

Despite advances in managing specific SSc manifestations, treatment remains highly fragmented, often requiring a combination of immunosuppressants, biologics (including off-label use), antifibrotics, and supportive therapies tailored to individual organ involvement.

For patients experiencing progressive skin fibrosis, interstitial lung disease (ILD), and other serious complications, existing approaches frequently fall short of delivering durable, comprehensive disease control.

Compounding these treatment challenges, delayed diagnosis and the complexities of multidisciplinary care can further hinder timely intervention, reinforcing the need for advances across the broader SSc patient journey.

Against this backdrop, physicians are increasingly seeking therapies that target the underlying disease process rather than simply managing its individual manifestations. The ultimate aspiration is shifting from slowing progression and stabilizing organ function toward achieving more durable, multi-organ disease control, and potentially remission.

However, optimism surrounding the pipeline does not necessarily translate into consensus on which therapeutic approaches are best positioned to deliver these advances.

Cell Therapy Generates Excitement, but Physician Reservations Reveal a Divided Market

Among the emerging therapeutic approaches evaluated by Spherix, cell and immune-reset therapies stand out for their perceived potential to fundamentally reshape SSc treatment, particularly for patients with severe or refractory disease.

In particular, the possibility of sustained disease control following a single intervention has generated considerable interest among rheumatologists who have long relied on chronic treatment regimens with limited disease-modifying potential.

However, enthusiasm is far from universal.

Spherix's research reveals a striking divide between physicians attracted to the potentially transformative efficacy of cell therapy and those concerned about safety, treatment complexity, and the practical realities of implementing such approaches in routine care. Bristol Myers Squibb's investigational CAR-T therapy zola-cel illustrates this tension, generating both strong enthusiasm and considerable reservations among physicians.

These findings complement Spherix's broader Special Topix™: Cell Therapy in Rheumatology (US) 2026 research, which examines physician perceptions, adoption considerations, and the evolving role of immune-reset therapies across rheumatologic diseases.

Together, the research highlights a critical distinction between the transformative potential physicians associate with cell therapy and the clinical evidence, patient selection, and practical considerations that will ultimately determine its place in treatment.

Ianalumab Emerges as a Leading Non-Cell Therapy Contender

While cell therapies generate interest for their potentially transformative effects, rheumatologists also see considerable promise in emerging targeted therapies that may offer meaningful disease modification without the complexities associated with cellular treatment.

Novartis' investigational BAFF-R-targeting antibody ianalumab emerges as the leading non-cell therapy among the pipeline product profiles evaluated in Spherix's research, reflecting favorable physician perceptions of its potential role in SSc.

Interest in additional emerging mechanisms, including FcRn inhibition, dual-pathway targeting, and novel antifibrotic strategies, further suggests that multiple therapeutic approaches could ultimately find a place in the evolving SSc treatment paradigm.

Rather than converging around a single therapeutic strategy, physician perceptions suggest that the next generation of SSc treatment may encompass multiple approaches, with adoption shaped by disease severity, organ involvement, patient selection, and the strength of emerging clinical evidence.

A Changing Treatment Paradigm Will Require More Than Promising Efficacy

“The systemic sclerosis market is at a particularly interesting juncture,” said Ryan Rex, Senior Director of Insights, Rheumatology at Spherix Global Insights. “Physicians have spent years managing individual disease manifestations with limited options to fundamentally alter disease progression. Emerging therapies are raising expectations, but enthusiasm is tempered by important questions around safety, durability of response, and how these treatments will fit into real-world practice.”

As the SSc pipeline advances, the commercial opportunity will extend beyond demonstrating clinical benefit to establishing clear differentiation and defining where individual therapies belong within an increasingly complex treatment paradigm.

For manufacturers, understanding the distinction between physician excitement and willingness to adopt will be critical, particularly as therapies with different mechanisms, treatment burdens, and potential patient populations move closer to clinical practice.

Market Dynamix™: Systemic Sclerosis (US) 2026 is an independent Spherix Global Insights study examining the current U.S. SSc treatment landscape, diagnostic and patient-management challenges, unmet needs, evolving treatment practices, and rheumatologist perceptions of emerging pipeline therapies. The research includes a quantitative survey of 103 U.S. rheumatologists conducted September 9–19, 2026, supplemented by six qualitative physician interviews conducted October 5–9, 2026.

Complementary research is available through Spherix's Special Topix™: Cell Therapy in Rheumatology (US) 2026 and Special Topix™: ILD in Rheumatology (US) 2026, providing additional insights into the evolving role of cellular therapies across rheumatologic indications, as well as the diagnosis, management, and treatment of interstitial lung disease in patients with rheumatic conditions.

About Market Dynamix™ 

Market Dynamix™ is an independent, data-driven service focused on understanding the evolving dynamics of specialty markets poised for disruption. Leveraging quantitative and qualitative research, the service evaluates current treatment approaches, unmet needs, and likely impact of pipeline agents over a three-to-five-year horizon.

About Special Topix™ 

Special Topix™ is an independent service that includes access to a report or series of reports based on current events or topics of interest in specialty markets covered by Spherix. 

About Spherix Global Insights

Spherix Global Insights is a leading independent provider of market intelligence and advisory services for specialty pharmaceutical and biotech markets. By combining physician, patient, and payer perspectives into a single integrated view, Spherix helps brand teams, market access stakeholders, and investors understand how a specialty market actually behaves, not how any one stakeholder describes it. The firm operates ten dedicated therapeutic franchises – Dermatology, Gastroenterology, Hematology, Nephrology, Neuroscience, Obesity, Oncology, Ophthalmology, Respiratory and Rheumatology – alongside a fully dedicated Market Access team. Each franchise is led by hyper-focused analysts and researchers who track these specialty areas full-time, drawing on independently curated communities of vetted practicing specialists, KOLs, patients recruited through treating physicians and advocacy partners, and medical and pharmacy directors at commercial and government payers. Spherix delivers quarterly trending, launch tracking, chart audits, KOL synthesis, patient experience research, and payer and market access intelligence that support confident, strategic decision-making across the pharma lifecycle. Trusted by 19 of the top 20 pharmaceutical and biotech organizations, Spherix has been a go-to resource for more than a decade for leading brands, market access stakeholders, industry media outlets, financial analysts, professional organizations, and patient advocacy groups seeking an unbiased, holistic view of specialty markets.

NOTICE: All company, brand, or product names in this press release are trademarks of their respective holders. The findings and opinions expressed within are based on Spherix Global Insights’ analysis and do not imply a relationship with or endorsement of the companies or brands mentioned in this press release.

Lynn Price
Spherix Global Insights
484-879-4284
lynn.price@spherixglobalinights.com