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A Rocky Start for Biosimilar Inflectra?
This week, when the FDA approved the biosimilar drug Inflectra as an alternative to infliximab (Remicade), it was only the second biosimilar to be granted approval in the United States, and was the fi
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Methotrexate Toxicity Quantified
Methotrexate (MTX) is a highly favored drug in rheumatology. Yet it has numerous nuisance side effects that may limit its use or patient acceptance.
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March 2016 Top Social Media News
In March 2016, RheumNow published 82 social media “tweets” regarding news, research and teaching points that impact the rheumatology community. These feeds had a reach (impressions) of 86,400 with, 76 mentions, and over 2700 visits to learn on RheumNow.com.
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RheumNow Week in Review - 8 April 2016
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the rheumatology highlights from the news, media, and journals from this past week:
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Altering the Microbiome May Benefit Lupus Patients
Lopez and colleagues from Spain have studied the gut microbiome of l
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Statin Side Effects Are For Real
The GAUSS-3 trial, recently published in JAMA, examined cholesterol-lowering interventions in patients with a high LDL (>120 mg/dl) and a history of statin intolerance to 2 or more statins.
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Intraarticular Wnt Inhibitor Therapy Effective in Knee Osteoarthritis
At the 2016 World Congress on Osteoarthritis (OARSI) meeting last week, first line results of a novel intraarticular inhibitor of the Wnt pathway (SM04690) in knee osteoarthritis were presented.
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Choosing ANA Tests Wisely - Education Fosters Smarter Use
It is estimated that 21% of laboratory tests are requested inappropriately. Researchers have explored the impact of educational programs for rheumatologists working at three rheumatology departments in secondary and tertiary care centers in The Netherlands.
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Tofacitinib Efficacy Revealed in OPAL Study
Pfizer has issued a press release of its preliminary results from the OPAL study that examined the efficacy and safety of tofacitinib 5 mg and 10 mg twice daily (BID) in adults active psoriatic arthritis (PsA).
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FDA Biosimilar Approval of Inflectra Viewed as a Milestone Advance
On February 9th, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Arthritis Advisory Committee voted 21-3 in favor of approving the infliximab biosimilar, CT-P13/Inflectra, for use in all of infliximab's indications.
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Cardiology Anti-inflammatory Trial Fails to Improve CV Outcomes
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston evaluated the efficacy and safety of the anti-inflammatory drug losmapimod on cardiovascular outcomes given to patients with a history of myocardial infarction and CV risk factors.
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EUSTAR Analysis Yields Predictors of Skin Improvement in Diffuse Systemic Sclerosis
Systemic sclerosis is one of the most challenging of rheumatic diseases, often complicated by significant morbidity and leads to irreversible disability in many cases.
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ACC Publishes Guidelines for Non-Statin Therapies
The American College of Cardiology has released its expert consensus guidance regarding the use of non-statin therapies to lower cholesterol in high-risk patients.
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Severe Psoriasis Associated with a Renal Disease Risk
There have been several reports of psoriasis being linked to chronic renal disease in the literature. Another population-based study has also found a link between severe psoriasis and kidney disease.
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Treating OA Knee Effusions with Low-Dose Spironolactone
Knee effusions in osteoarthritis are estimated to occur in 44% of patients, and more than half of these are painful. Management of knee OA with effusions can be problematic given the treatment options and the high recurrence rate.
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Opioid Use in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Opioid use and abuse is at an all time high. Epidemiologic and public health analyses have led to greater stringency and attempts to limit use have adversely effected those with arthritis.
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Baricitinib Benefits Refractory RA
The small molecule oral JAK inhibitor baricitinib was effective for patients with highly refractory rheumatoid arthritis, a phase III study found.
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Incidence of Psoriatic Arthritis Among Psoriasis Patients
Researchers at the University of Toronto have prospectively studied a cohort of 464 psoriasis patients without a diagnosis of arthritis and followed them over 8 years to estimate the incidence and frequency of psoriatic arthritis (PsA).
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Antibiotics Fail to Treat Chronic Symptoms of Lyme Disease
(Reuters Health) - Twelve weeks of antibiotic therapy proved ineffective at combating the long-term symptoms seen in some people who have had Lyme disease, a new test of 280 sufferers found. (Citation source http://buff.ly/1Rs21R5)
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