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Taltz FDA Approved for Ankylosing Spondylitis (Radiographic Axial SpA)
The FDA has approved the IL-17A inhibitor Taltz (ixekizumab) for the treatment of adults with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS: also known as radiographic axial spondyloarthritis).
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RheumNow Podcast – Upadacitinib FDA Approved for RA (8.23.19)
Dr. Jack Cush reports on the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com, including: how your genetics may shape your microbiome; GERD as a risk factor for TMJ?; how can MDA-5+ dermatomyositis be any worse; new drug happenings; StillsNow.com; and more.
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A Multidimensional Definition of Remission
A study from Leeds suggests 'multi-dimensional remission' (MDR) can be seen in one-third of RA patients achieving DAS28-remission; such patients have better patient-reported outcome measures, making it an optimal goal, especially from a patient's perspective.
Read ArticleOsteoporosis Tx: Good for Bones, but Not for Cutting Death Risk
Osteoporosis treatments were not linked with reduced overall mortality, according to a meta-analysis of placebo-controlled trial data.
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Upadacitinib (RINVOQ) FDA Approved for Rheumatoid Arthritis
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday, August 16, approved AbbVie JAK1 inhibitor, Rinvoq (upadacitinib) for adults with rheumatoid arthritis with moderately to severely active disease either not responding to, or intolerant of, methotrexate (MTX).
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RheumNow Podcast – Antibiotics Increase RA Risk (8.16.19)
Dr. Jack Cush reports the news and important journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.
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Trends in Inflammatory Arthritis Care in Germany
The German National Database (NDB) has reviewed their experience in the care and quality of life of inflammatory rheumatic disease patients snce 1993, showing improved use of metrics, improved outcomes and a changing profile of biologic and anti-rheumatic drug use.
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Bisphosphonate Use Associated with Reduced Mortality
The Journal of Bone and Mineral Research (JBMR) has published a report showing that a reduction in the rate of bone loss by nitrogen bisphosphonates was associated with a 40% lower mortality risk.
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Enbrel Patent Battle Won by Amgen
The ugly, legal, financial underbelly of US biosimilar drug development showed up in court last Friday, when a U.S. judge upheld two of Amgen's patents for Enbrel, thwarting a legal challenge by Novartis/Sandoz over its etanercept-szzs biosimilar, Erelzi.
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RA Disease Activity Drives Lung Complications
A longitudinal study from the BRASS registry shows that increase rheumatoid arthritis disease activity increases the risk of RA-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD).
RA patients without RA-ILD at baseline, enrolled in the Brigham RA Sequential Study (BRASS, 2003–2016), were followed from 2003-2016 with serial clinical, DAS28, serologic and imaging assessments.
NSAIDs Mediate Cardiovascular Risk in OA
NSAIDs have been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but does this also hold for osteoarthritis (OA) patients.
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Vitamin D Supplements Fail to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes - DUH!
A NEJM report shows that the use of vitamin D3 supplementation (4000 IU per day) in those without diabetes or vitamin D deficiency failed to significantly lower risk of type 2 diabetes (compared to placebo).
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Increasing Lung Disease in Systemic JIA
A single-center cohort analysis shows that lung disease is increasingly seen in children with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SJIA), especially those complicated by macrophage activation syndrome.
Prior to 2013, reports of pulmonary disease in SJIA were rare, but since there have been increasing reports of alveolar hypertension, interstitial lung disease and pulmonary alveolar proteinosis; often with a high mortality rate.
As such, since 2014, the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center has seen an increase in lung disease and severe lung disease in SJIA.
New EULAR/ACR Classification Criteria for SLE
The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) have jointly developed new classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); prompted by the need for criteria that were both highly sensitive and specific. The net result is improved sensitivity and specificity, but the use of positive ANA requirement along with a longer list of weighted criteria ensures its utility in SLE research (including early or latent SLE), but not clinical practice.
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War on RA - Part 3: Useless Drugs
We have options that are endless – we have 28 biologics in rheumatology; 19 approved for RA in the last 20 years, but 15 of these are me-too copies or biosimilars. We currently have 2 JAK inhibitors and may have 3 or 4 by year end. But what we really need is the right drug, at the right time, in the right patient – but how will we know.
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Are Non-TNF Biologics Superior to TNF inhibitors?
Current ACR and EULAR guidelines list TNF-inhibitors (TNFi) abatacept, rituximab, and tocilizumab as being equally effective after methotrexate or as second line therapies when treating rheumatoid arthritis.
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Biologic Therapy Improves Psoriasis and Reduces CV Inflammation
Psoriasis confers a significant risk of comorbidity, but is psoriasis associated with increased coronary inflammation and is this risk attenuated by biologic therapy?
JAMA Cardiology has published a cohort study of 134 consecutive patients with moderate to severe psoriasis, showing that biologic therapy was associated with a significant decrease in coronary inflammation as assessed by perivascular fat attenuation index, a marker of coronary inflammation associated with cardiovascular outcomes. Patients not receiving biologic therapy had no change in perivascular fat attenuation index at 1 year.
TNF Inhibitor and Biologic Induced Psoriasis
Analysis of RA patients in the German biologics register, RABBIT, shows an increased risk of psoriasis with TNF inhibitor (TNFi) compared to csDMARDs and other non-TNFi biologics.
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Joint Surgery Rates Remain High in Psoriatic Arthritis
The incidence rate of joint surgery among patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) has remained persistently high, double that of the general population, according to a new Danish cohort study.
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RheumNow Podcast – FDA Hyperactivity (7.26.19)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal reports, and FDA releases and deliberations covered this past week on RheumNow.com
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