Tocilizumab Risk of Diverticulitis and GI Perforation

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A French registry analysis compared the risk of diverticulitis and gastrointestinal perforation (GIP) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with biologics and found a greater risk of both in patients receiving tocilizumab (TCZ) compared with those on rituximab (RTX) or abatacept (ABA

Checkpoint Inhibitor Safety in Melanoma Patients with Autoimmune Disease

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Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are well known to cause immune-related adverse events (irAEs). A study from the Dutch Melanoma Treatment Registry shows that the use of checkpoint inhibitors for advanced melanoma in AID (autoimmune disease) patients did not increase the risk of irAEs, except for those with preexisting IBD.

IL-23 Inhibitor Tildrakizumab Effective in Psoriatic Arthritis

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Tildrakizumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-23p19 studied in adults with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), was found to be superior to placebo and well tolerated without reports of uveitis, systemic fungal infections, inflammatory bowel disease, major cardiac events or death. 

RheumNow Live 2021 Now Available for All

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RheumNow Live (RNL) for 2021 was held March 20 - 21 in Fort Worth, TX, and now all can partake in the meeting - by video, podcast or by signing up for Tuesday Nite Rheumatology (TNR).

Risk Factors for Rheumatoid Arthritis-associated Interstitial Lung Disease

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Sparks and colleagues have published a matched cohort analysis demonstrating risk factors that may augment the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD), especially the combination of obesity, high CRP, high MD-HAQ and >30 pack-year smoking h

Insurers Bet Big on Bribing Patients

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Last month, psoriasis patients covered by Cigna received a curious letter from the insurance giant's pharmacy management division.

AURORA-1: Voclosporin Efficacy in Lupus Nephritis

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Lancet has published the results of the AURORA-1 trial, wherein the calcineurin inhibitor, voclosporin, was tested in a placebo controlled trial of lupus nephritis and shown to be effective at inducing a complete renal response.

FDA Advisors Split on Avacopan for Vasculitis

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Members of an FDA advisory panel were sharply divided as to whether avacopan, an oral small molecule inhibitor of the C5a receptor, was sufficiently safe and effective for treating antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis.

Avacopan for ANCA Vasculitis Goes in Front of the FDA

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An FDA advisory panel will consider whether to recommend approval of an oral C5a inhibitor for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis, with agency staff raising questions over the "clinical meaningfulness" of key study data.

RheumNow Podcast – Falling or Falling in Love?

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the best journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.

ARTIC REWIND - Don't Half DMARD Therapy

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The ARTIC-REWIND study examined rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in remission on conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) to see if they could "step-down" their csDMARDs theray; but  the study showed that 25% those who went on half-dose experienced disease fl

Drug Monitoring Ineffective with Infliximab Treatment

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The predictive value of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) while on biologics is debateable; gastroenterology routinely relies on TDM, while rheumatologists do not.

Results Disappoint for Fecal Transplant in Arthritis

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Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) showed disappointing results among patients with active psoriatic arthritis, a small randomized trial found.

RheumNow Podcast – Uppers and Downers

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com.

Tofacitinib in Ankylosing Spondylitis

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A phase III trial assessing the efficacy and safety of tofacitinib in adults with with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS) shows that JAK inhibitiion was superior to placebo in a 48 week study.

Psoriatic Pregnancies Pose Risks to the Mother, Not Child

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A metanalysis of pregnancy outcomes in women with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis finds an excess risk of adverse maternal events, but not adverse neonatal events.

This systematic review included 16 studies meeting inclusion criteria. 

Dual IL-17 Targeting is Effective but has More Candidiasis

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Bimekizumab (BIM) is a monoclonal antibody that targets both interleukin-17A and interleukin-17F, which as a biologic target has worked well in the management of psoriatic disease. The current issue of the NEJM has two reports wherein BIM was shown to be more effective than secukinumab and adalimumab in treating patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis; however, safety concerns arise. 

RheumNow Podcast – Coconspirators: RA and Lung Disease

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews and discusses more than a dozen news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.

BSRBR: Demyelinating Disease Following Anti-TNFα Therapy

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Analysis of patients receiving anti–tumor necrosis factor α (TNFi) therapy in the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register (BSRBR) shows that the risk of demyelination is rare but is marginally increased by taking TNFi therapy. 

Increased Risk of COPD in ACPA+ Pre-RA Patients

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The lung and its pathology is uniquely tied to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and its pathogenesis.  A new study shows that elevation of anti–citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) before diagnosis of RA increases the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD