The Dec. 12 issue of the National Vital Statistics Reports from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the most commonly abused drugs causing drug overdose deaths (between 2011-2016) include fentanyl, heroin, oxycodone, and cocaine.

There is a national shortage of a new shingles vaccine, Shingrix, which is a problem for those who want to start the vaccine and those seeking to receive their second and final injection. 

Since its FDA approval nearly a year ago, sales of the new vaccine have outperformed projections and are expected to approach $1 billion in revenue for 2018. 

Interactions between disease-related inflammatory processes and the development of several morbidities have been well-studied in RA, particularly heart disease. This is not the case for the often-lethal SSc (estimated standardized mortality ratio between 2.5 and 4.0). Similarly, there are no studies comparing the most relevant comorbidities between SSc and RA.

The risk for cancer in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients has been inconsistently studied.  A new metanalysis shows that SLE has an increased risk for 16 specific cancers and decreased risk for prostate cancer and cutaneous melanoma. 

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and new journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com: