John H. Stone, M.D., M.P.H., Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and The Edward A. Fox Chair in Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital leads the discussion of steroid-toxicity reduction in 2026 pivotal trials. Stone is a practicing rheumatologist and the developer of the GTI Family of instruments. He will explore how this technology addresses and enhances prospective clinical research, retrospective population studies, and patient outcomes in clinical care.

Background: Glucocorticoids remain foundational in immunology, yet the traditional focus on cumulative dose fails to capture the full burden of organ-level toxicity on the patient. The Glucocorticoid Toxicity Index (GTI) offers a rigorous, validated, multidimensional approach to quantifying steroid harm.

Content: This presentation distinguishes steroid-sparing (dose) from steroid-toxicity sparing (harm) and introduces the GTI and GTI-MD. Evidence from pivotal trials in giant cell arteritis (GCA), polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), and IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) will confirm meaningful reduction in steroid-toxicity by new investigational drugs. HEOR studies and integration into EMR systems and real-world evidence generation will be addressed.

Relevance: For clinical development and pipeline strategy, the GTI Family of instruments advances the science toward the reduction of patient harm in autoimmune disease treatment. This approach moves beyond steroid dose, addresses an unmet need, and strengthens regulatory submissions. For medical affairs, the GTI Family reveals the true impact of new steroid-toxicity sparing drugs.