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Does T2T Lead to Fewer Gout Flares?
Lancet Rheumatology reports that a treat-to-target (T2T) goal of average serum urate less than 6 mg/dL is associated with an absence of gout flares and a reduction in the number of flares in the next 12 months.
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Fracture Risk with Osteoporosis Drug Holidays
While bisphosphonate drug holidays are recommended, there are few comparative studies.
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Why Are Physicians Silent About Outrageous Drug Prices?
This article was written by Dr. Milton Packer, who wonders why physicians are struggling to get their priorities straight.
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The Overpricing of Drugs (1.14.2022)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com. This week we discuss amputations, a $57 billion RA market, an FDA approved drug for Cat arthritis and drug that works in Sjogren's.
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Hold Myophenolate or Not with COVID-19 Vaccination?
While the American College of Rheumatology recommends holding mycophenolate (MMF) in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases patients (RMD) receiving COVID-19 vaccines, there is limited data on such an approach. A recent cohort study of RMD patients showed that holding MMF yielded higher antibody responses than continuing MMF.
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COVAX Registry: Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines in Rheum Patients
The EULAR Coronavirus Vaccine (COVAX) physician-reported registry has shown that the use of COVID-19 vaccines in people with inflammatory/autoimmune rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease (I-RMD) is effective, safe, and well tolerated.
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KEEPSaKe-1 Trial in Psoriatic Arthritis - IL-23 Inhibition is Effective
The results of the KEEPSaKE-1 study in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) has been published and shows that risankizumab (RIZ), an IL-23 inhibitor, showed significant clinical improvements when given to active PsA patients who failed or were intolerant to ≥1 csDMARD.
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What Can JIA Patients Expect 18 Years In?
Follow-up in a Scandinavian cohort of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients that began in 1997-2000 revealed a number of surprises, a new study indicated.
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Biologic Treatment of Primary Sjogrens with Ianalumab
Clinical trials generally fail in Sjögren's syndrome; but now a study shows that a biologic B cell inhibitor, ianalumab, met its primary endpoint with a dose-related decrease in disease activity (measured by ESSDAI) at week 24.
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BEAT LUPUS - Belimumab after Rituximab in SLE
A recent trial published in Annals of Internal Medicine analyzed the effects of B-cell depletion (rituximab) followed by B-cell suppression (belimumab) and showed effective lowering of anti-dsDNA titers and and fewer severe flare in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
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COVID-19 in Pregnant Rheumatic Women
The Global Rheumatology Alliance (GRA) has studied the outcomes of women with rheumatic disease who were pregnant at the time of infection with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
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2021 Rheumatology Year in Review
Our top 10 list of advances, game-changers, worries and those better medical practices that evolved during 2021.
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Comorbidities Drive Risk of Severe Outcomes with COVID-19
The current edition of the MMWR from the CDC shows that among those vaccinated against COVID-19, there is a low risk of severe outcomes (hospitalization and death); the highest risk is seen in those with multiple comorbidities.
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COVID Breakthrough Infections with Arthritis and HIV
Among immunocompromised individuals vaccinated against COVID-19, solid organ transplant recipients as well as those with HIV and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were significantly more likely to experience breakthrough infections versus people without immune dysfunction, a retrospective study found.
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New Onset Rheumatic Disorders with COVID-19 Infection
The journal Cells has published a review of new rheumatic disorders following COVID-19 infection. Rheumatologists have infrequently noted such events and wondered what is the true incidence or range of possible manifestations.
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Spesolimab, an IL-36 Blocker, in Pustular Psoriasis
The NEJM has published the results of a phase 2 randomized trial showing that the use of an interleukin-36 receptor inhibitor, spesolimab, resulted in rapid improvement of generalized pustular psoriasis (at 1 week), but that adverse events and infections were of concern with 12 weeks of foll
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Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines in Rheumatic Patients
Since the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines in January 2021, rheumatologists have fully advocated the protective benefits of their use - yet many have rarely noted flares and reactive side effects worrisome to patients. Now a multinational study shows that the use of COVID vaccination in rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease is safe, well-tolerated with very rare serious adverse events.
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Best of 2021: Jack of All Subspecialties
It's great to be a rheumatologist, but boy, it's getting harder and harder. You have to be a jack of all trades. You have to be good at cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, vaccination, inflammatory bowel disease - it just never ends. This and more, as Dr. Cush summarizes more than a dozen journal articles, news reports and questions + cases.
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Best of 2021: FDA Puts Boxed Warnings on JAK Inhibitors
Based on the safety review of tofacitinib in Pfizer's Oral Surveillance (1133) study, the FDA has added serious boxed warnings to all three marketed JAK inhibitors (for inflammatory diseases) and formalized the recommendation that patients should be started on a TNF inhibitor (TNFi) before trying a JAK inhibitor. These recommendations apply to tofacitinib, baricitinib and upadacitinib.
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