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The EULAR 2015 Report - Wednesday
EULAR 2015 started the afternoon of Wednesday June 10th.
Read ArticleAmgen Halts Development of Brodalumab
IL-17 inhibitors are being developed for treatment of psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis. Broadalumab has been in phase II & III trials and been developed by a partnership between Amgen and Astra-Zeneca.
Read ArticleSildenafil May Help Heal Scleroderma Ulcers
A prospective study of sildenafil was conducted in 25 centers that included 83 patients and 192 digital ulcers at entry. The odds of healing ulcers was less, but not significant, for sildenafil.
Read ArticleRA Sarilumab Trials Meet Primary Endpoints
Three phase III studies of sarilumab (SARIL-RA-TARGET, -EASY and -ASCERTAIN), a fully-human IL6 receptor antibody, have been reported and met primary end points in these pivotal clinical trials.
Read ArticlePisetsky on Digital Infarcts and Rheumatoid Vasculitis
"As scholars of disease have noted, RA today appears to be a less severe disease than it was when I started my career in the 1970s. Then, patients routinely ‘went up in smoke’ and rapidly became crippled, wasting away in a state we called ‘burnt out’.
Read ArticleEarly DMARD Therapy Averts Cardiovascular Risk in RA
A Finnish early RA register studied 14,878 incident RA patients from 2000-2008 and identified 1157 deaths. Patients receiving DMARDs and MTX had lower mortality rates. The standardized moratility ratio for the entire cohort was reduced (0.57, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.62).
Read ArticleHepatotoxicity and TNF Inhibitors
Hepatic enzyme elevations with TNF inhibitor use is not uncommon.
Read ArticleZoster Risk is Similar Among Different MOA Biologics
The risk of new H zoster infection was studied among nearly 30,000 new biologic starts and compared rates seen with abatacept, adalimumab, rituximab, infliximab, etanercept, tocilizumab, certolizumab or golimumab initiation.
Read ArticleCommunication is the Best Medicine
Patients rate communication as one of the most important factors in choosing and sticking with a physician. The end product in at least 2/3 of visits is the prescription, yet prescription adherence is substandard in half of our patients. The key is communication.
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The Risk of Listeriosis in RA
In the mid-1990s, our Rheumatology Division at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School became involved with an early trial of a brand new TNF inhibitor.
Read ArticleWho Should Pay for Drug 'Take-Back' Programs
Unused pills and prescriptions pose a significant safety risk in the home and may contribute to dosing errors or inadvertent drug use. The issue has led the DEA to sponsor national drug disposal programs and local municipalities have followed with similar programs. At issue is who shoul
Read ArticleAdjuvant Herpes Zoster Subunit Vaccine is 97% Effective in Adults
Drug-Induced Lupus is Rare with TNF inhibitor Therapy
Daily Aspirin Taken by More Than Half of Older U.S. Adults
Despite guidelines stating that low dose aspirin is indicated for secondary prevention of MI and stroke, a recent survey shows that over half of US adults take daily low dose aspirin.
Read ArticleReview of Bisphosphonates and Atypical femoral fractures
The Journal For Nurse Practitioners provides a succinct overview of atypical femoral fractures and bisphosphonates. These popular agents account for 14 million prescriptions annually in the United States.
Read ArticleFDA Enforces New Drug Safety Labeling for Pregnant Women
The traditional FDA pregnancy risk categories (A, B, C, D, X) have been scrapped in favor of a new labeling mandate called the pregnancy and lactation labeling rule (PLLR). This change has been under consideration at the FDA for nearly 2 years and was brought about by the belief that the old
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