FDA Approves Cosentyx for Ankylosing Spondylitis and Psoriatic Arthritis

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Cosentyx (secukinumab) was approved by the FDA on 15 January, 2016 for patients with active ankyosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

BSR Issues DMARD Prescribing Guidelines for Pregnancy

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Treatment paradigms for managing pregnancy in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have been challenged in recent years with the introduction of new agents and reclassification of drug safety during pregnancy by the FDA.

Steroid Over-Prescribing Persists in RA

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Almost half of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the UK receive glucocorticoids from primary care physicians, and of those who are prescribed glucocorticoids, more than half receive more than 10 mg a day.

Ominous Outcomes for Lupus Nephritis

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Hanly and coworkers have reported the results of a large lupus cohort study involving 1827 patients. SLE patients were enrolled early in their disease (0.5 years) and were followed for a mean of 4.6 years.

ACP Backs New CDC Guideline for Opioids and Chronic Pain

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Wayne J Riley, MD, MPH, MBA, MACP, president of the American College of Physicians (ACP) sent a letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reacting to its Draft Guideline for the Use of Opioids for Chronic Pain.

The Price of Drugs Continues to Increase

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Drug prices increased an average of 10% in 2015 (after a 13.5% increase in 2014) and includes big name drugs from major pharmaceutical companies.

Lesinurad augments uric acid lowering effect in allopurinol non-responders

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As the never-ending battle with refractory gout continues, the need for more safe and effective treatments remains. Often, steady remission and target urate levels are not achieved with allopurinol alone.

Seropositivity Increases Risk of Rheumatoid Mortality

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Three European registries analyzed their cohorts for outcomes that may be related to seropositivity for anticitrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA), rheumatoid factor (RF) and anticarbamylated protein (anti-CarP) antibodies.

Prescribing Rules

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If you are responsible for the outcome and welfare of patients – you need prescribing rules.

If you are supervising others or responsible for the training of those learning rheumatology – you need prescribing rules.

Combination or Monotherapy Tocilizumab in Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Several rheumatoid arthritis studies have shown that tocilizumab (TCZ) may be as effective as monotherapy when compared to combination therapy (methotrexate plu

Cochrane Reviews Low Back Pain and Exercise

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A new Cochrane Review published today shows that targeting exercises to muscles that support and control the spine offers another strategy to reduce pain and disability caused by lower back pain.

Game-Changers 2015: Refining Treatment in Arthritis

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Widening experience with JAK inhibition for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and tapering medications among RA patients in remission, along with the success of secukinumab for psoriatic arthritis (PsA), were the most important advances in rheumatology in 2015, according to specialists responding toMedPa

The Global Prevalence of Spondyloarthritis

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SpA is a common disease, but with large variation in reported prevalence estimates, partly explained by differences in demographical and methodological characteristics. 

Increasing Hospitalization Rates for Shingles in Lupus

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An administrative claims study of lupus patients drawn from the United States National Inpatient Sample between 2000 to 2011, studied hospitalization rates related to bacteremia, pneumonia, opportunistic fungal infection, herpes zoster, cytomegalovirus, or pneumocystis pneumonia (P

New Scoring System Predicts 1 year survival in Hip Fracture Patients

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A prospective study was conducted in Germany to establish predictors of 1 year survival after a hip fracture in elderly people.

Secukinumab Shows Efficacy in Two Ankylosing Spondylitis Trials

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NEJM has published the results of two studies wherein IL-17 inhibition with secukinumab (SEC) was shown to be effective in patients with anklylosing spondylitis.

Increased Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in Ankylosing Spondylitis

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Although ankylosing spondylitis affects a predominantly male population, the ratio of men to women has declined from 9-10:1 in earlier studies to more recent estimates of 2-3:1 (F:M).

Famous Rheumatologist Quotes – Part II

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Last month, many rheumatologists offered up their favorite quotes. Most of these were on medicine, medical skills, some pertained to rheumatology and others were axioms for life.

CDC Reports Increasing Narcotic Deaths

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A recent Morbidity Mortality Weekly Report from the CDC reviewed the epidemic of drug overdose (poisoning) deaths in the USA.

Tofacitinib Shows Promise in Alopecia, Eczema and Vitiligo

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Tofacitinib has been approved for use in rheumatoid arthritis.