Pharmacy Benefit Managers at Odds with Specialty Pharmacies

Save

Reuters and the Wall Street Journal have reported that the largest U.S. pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) of private prescription drug benefits have cut off at least eight pharmacies that work closely with drugmakers, intensifying scrutiny of a system that helps inflate drug prices.

Hypertension Increased in Psoriasis Treated with NSAIDs, Cyclosporine or Steroids

Save

Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis patient have significantly higher rates of comorbidity, including hypertension (HTN). This population-based, nested case–control study analyzed an inception psoriasis cohort from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database between 2000–2010.

Biology of Bone Remodeling in Psoriatic Disease

Save

Paine and Ritchlin have reviewed the evidence that new bone formation is centered around enthesial sites and that such findings are evident in psoriatic arthritis as well as psoriasis patients without arthritis.

Is Baricitinib Really Better Than Adalimumab in RA: Trial Results Reviewed

Save

Dr. Peter Taylor and colleagues presented their results of the 52-week BEAM trial wherein baricitinib (a JAK 1, 2 inhibitor) was compared to adalimumab in both clinical and radiographic outcomes. This was the most viewed abstract online at the ACR website.

Cryoglobulinemic Vasculitis Reviewed

Save

Cacoub et al review the common entity cryoglobulinemic vasculitis (CryoVas) in the current issue of the American Journal of Medicine.

This small-vessel vasculitis involves the skin, joints, and potentially other organs, including the peripheral nervous system or the kidneys.

Are We Using Methotrexate Appropriately?

Save

Methotrexate is a mainstay drug in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).  Yet, we may not be using it long enough or optimizing its use.  

ACP Releases Paper on Impact of 'Concierge' on Patient Care

Save

The American College of Physicians released a position paper exploring factors driving the growth of “concierge” and other “direct patient contracting practices” (DPCPs) and the “limited” evidence on their impact on patient care.

Concern Still Lingers for Silicone Breast Implants

Save

What do you tell your patients who are considering augmentation mammoplasty? Or who question the safety of prior implants?

Anifrolumab Improves Lupus Outcomes

Save

Furie and coworkers presented the results of a 52-week phase II trial of anifrolumab (ANIFR), a type I interfernon (IFN) receptor antagonist in patients with lupus (SLE).

Mycophenolate in Scleroderma Lung Disease

Save

Clements et al presented the results of their Scleroderma Lung Study II wherein PSS patients with interstitial lung disease were randomized to receive either 3 grams daily of mycopheonolate or 2mg/kg/day of cyclophosphamide.

Western Diet Increased the Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Save

Liu and coworkers from Boston presented abstract #1213, with data from the NHS II Survey. They examined 93,859 women (without RA) and their dietary data from 1991 to 2011.

Improving Cardiovascular Trends in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Save

 Myasoedova and colleagues from the Mayo Clinic have reported their new data that demonstrates improving cardiovascular (CV) mortality rates in current RA patients treated with modern drugs.

TNF Inhibitor-Induced Psoriasis

Save

TNF blocker Induced Psoriasis: Take Home Messages

Chondroitin Superior to Celecoxib in Knee OA Cartilage Loss

Save

A study of 194 knee OA patients received either 1200 mg chondroitin sulfate or celecoxib 200 mg daily, and clinical and MRI outcomes were assessed at 1 and 2 years.

2015 ACR RA Guidelines Released– Finally!

Save

ACR 2015 RA treatment guidelines were published yesterday, nearly a year after they were preliminarily presented at the 2014 ACR meeting in Boston. After a year of review and revision these have been posted.

Invokana Decreases Autoimmune Risk

Save

In September, the FDA issued warnings that the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) inihibitor Invokana may cause a dose-dependant increased risk of bone fractures. This was based on a review of nin

FDA Panel Advises Stronger Warnings on Fluoroquinolones

Save

An FDA Advisory Panel reviewed the safety of fluoroquinolones and their use to treat sinus infections, urinary-tract infections and bronchitis.

Hip Fracture Risk Factors in the Elderly

Save

As risk of hip fracture increases with advanced age, our knowledge of risk factors for hip fracture among very old people remains limited.

Knee OA (not Hand) is Associated with Higher Mortality in Women

Save

"Doc....the pain is killing me."

This oft heard patient complaint may be truer than you think.

Features Predict Chronicity in Myositis

Save

Certain serologic and clinical features can help predict a chronic disease course among children with juvenile idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (JIIM), a large registry study showed.