DSB: ACR 2015 Safety Reports

Save

The following is a compilation of abstracts presented at the 2015 Annual ACR meeting in San Francisco. These were chosen on the basis of impact, quality and safety message.

Interstitial Lung Disease Not Increased with Biologics

Save

Extraarticular manifestations affect more then half of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, and interstitial lung disease or "RA lung" is one of the more prevalent. The frequency of ILD in patients with RA varies from 5% to 58%.

Power Doppler Ultrasound Detects Early Synovitis Change in APPRAISE Study

Save

While new recommendations suggest early aggressive management of rheumatoid arthritis, our ability to assess treatment response is limited to clinical and laboratory assessment.

EU Endorses Biosimilar Etanercept (SB4) from Samsung/Biogen

Save

Reuters today reported that a copy of the blockbuster biotech drug Enbrel (SB4) was recommended for approval in Europe on Friday, making it the second so-called biosimilar antibody medicine to win such a green light from the continent's regulators.

CMS Releases Final Rule on Joint Replacement

Save

MedPage Today reports that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a final rule governing payment for hip and knee replacements for Medicare patients this week that includes several concessions to stakeholders, such as delaying implementation from early 2016 to later in

Opioid Use Ups the Risk of Hospitalized Infections in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Save

Researchers from Vanderbilt University have studied the issue of opioid use in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and whether this influences infection risk.

From Psoriasis to PsA: Who and Why?

Save

The number of patients with psoriasis who go on to develop psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is considerably higher than has previously been estimated, a prospective cohort study found.

Psoriasis May Not Be a Risk for CV Events

Save

Patients with psoriatic skin and joint disease are uniquely susceptible to multiple comorbidities, obesity and possibly more cardiovascular risks. In rheumatoid arthritis, the increased CV risk and CV events have been closely aligned with inflammation and disease activity.

AMA Proposes Ban on Television Drug Ads

Save

The American Medical Association has called for a ban on direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising for prescription drugs and medical devices, noting these forms of advertising drive up health care costs and often mislead the public.

SB4 - A Second Biosimilar Up For Review in Europe

Save

A biosimilar of etanercept (Enbrel) made by the South Korean company Samsung Bioepis is under consideration by regulators in the European Union. Samsung Bioepis, a joint venture between Samsung Biologics and Biogen, is taking aim with its version of etanercept.

Alcohol and Methotrexate - What Do You Advise?

Save

What are your rules on methotrexate and alcohol use? How about casual, social or occasional alcohol use? If one alcoholic beverage is ok, what about 2, 3 or six while taking MTX?

Tocilizumab & Abatacept Effective in Giant Cell Arteritis

Save

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a medium and large vasculitis, wherein only glucocorticoids (GC) treatment has been the mainstay of therapy. As many will require prolonged treatment, the hazards of GC are well known, lead to substantial toxicity and morbidity.

Surviving Infection on DMARDs or Biologics

Save

Sepsis is a dangerous and potentially fatal consequence of serious infections (SIE), particularly in susceptible populations such as the elderly and immunosuppressed. Published evidence points toward the potential role of TNF in development of sepsis.

Are Guidelines Worth the Cost?

Save

A thoughtful perspective on the purpose, focus and cost of guideline efforts in rheumatology has been published in the journal Rheumatology.

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.