House Bill Threatens CME Exemption from Sunshine Act Reporting

Save

Current Sunshine Act disclosures do not apply to CME certified educational activities for either the participants or the presenters. CMS has debated and waffled on whether companies would be required to report payments to doctors who speak at, or attend, CME seminars.

Is There a Standout When Comparing Novel Therapies?

Save

Randomized clinical trials are needed to show efficacy and safety, and are needed to back up the claims and indications for a particular drug. The issue of treatment choice has become challenging, especially when choosing to start or augment therapy.

Medical Marijuana for Osteoarthritis in Illinois

Save

An advisory board has recommended osteoarthritis and a host of disorders for inclusion in the Illinois new medical marijuana program.

Most Prescribed Branded Drugs Through March 2015

Save

In the last 12 months, levothyroxine (Synthroid) was the most prescribed drug in the USA  with 21.6 million prescriptions. Adalimumab (Humira) had 8.3 billion in sales, followed by etanercept (Enbrel) at nearly $6 billion. 

Who Should Pay for Drug 'Take-Back' Programs

Save

Unused pills and prescriptions pose a significant safety risk in the home and may contribute to dosing errors or inadvertent drug use. The issue has led the DEA to sponsor national drug disposal programs and local municipalities have followed with similar programs. At issue is who shoul

FDA Outlines its Guidance for Biosimilars

Save

The FDA has released its guidance document on biosimilar development, stating that this represents its current thinking and may not be the final document. The document was published last week and will be instrumental in the development of biosimilar products in this country. In the

Time for a New War on Drugs (Their Prices, That Is)

Save

Adjuvant Herpes Zoster Subunit Vaccine is 97% Effective in Adults

Save

Drug-Induced Lupus is Rare with TNF inhibitor Therapy

Save

Real World Biologic Success in Systemic JIA

Save

A retrospective review of 77 SoJIA patients revealed that 50-70% achieved inactive disease or remission when treated with IL-1 inhibitors (anakinra, canakinumab). Good responses were seen with tocilizumab or abatacept, but only 8% responded to etanercept.

Medicare Spends $2.5 billion on Prescription Nexium in 2013

Save

Medicare released its list of the most costly medicines presribed in 2013.

May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month

Save

Lyme disease is a multisystem disease caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. The organism is transmitted through the bite of certain species of blacklegged ticks (Ixodes spp.).

DRESS Trial Shows TNFi Dose Reduction is Possible - Without Major Flares

Save

Can TNF inhibitor therapy be withdrawn in RA patients who are in remission?  The DRESS trial reports the results of randomized trial of 180 RA patients taking either etanercept or adalimumab. Patients were randomly assigned to either usual care (no dose reduction) or a stepwise increase

May is Arthritis Awareness Month

Save

May is Arthritis Awareness Month. Arthritis affects an estimated 52.5 million U.S. adults, is a common comorbidity among those with multiple chronic conditions, and is a leading cause of disability in the United States.

Diet, Exercise and Glucosamine Fail to Prevent OA in Overweight Females

Save

An at-risk population of 407 middle-aged overweight women (BMI ≥ 27 kg/m2) without clinical signs of knee osteoarthritis were prospectively studied for 2.5 years and randomized to receive either glucosamine or diet and exercise in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Calprotectin as a Biomarker in RA

Save

Calprotectin a major S100 protein, produced by leukocytes is a potential new biomarker for use as it may be more sensitive disease activity changes than conventional acute-phase proteins.

Chronobiology: When Will It's Time Come?

Save

Morning stiffness is a historic feature of RA and may be related to prolonged inactivity or the chronobiology of rheumatoid inflammation. Chronobiology and chronopharmacology are receiving consideration in investigation and RA trial design. Researchers from Maynooth, Berlin, Vienna and

Daily Aspirin Taken by More Than Half of Older U.S. Adults

Save

Despite guidelines stating that low dose aspirin is indicated for secondary prevention of MI and stroke, a recent survey shows that over half of US adults take daily low dose aspirin.

Review of Bisphosphonates and Atypical femoral fractures

Save

The Journal For Nurse Practitioners provides a succinct overview of atypical femoral fractures and bisphosphonates.   These popular agents account for 14 million prescriptions annually in the United States.

Lyme disease: recent advances and perspectives

Save

Lyme disease remains endemic in many parts of North America and continues as a public health concern. This article reviews endemic and nonedemic areas, the lack of an available Lyme vaccine, immune pathways and what is known about the vector and bug.