ICD-10 Headlines

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Nearly 2 weeks have passed since the painful launch of ICD-10 in US medical practices.

Prescription Opioid Use Falls While Abuse Rises

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From 2003 to 2013, the percentage of nonmedical use of prescription opioids decreased among adults in the U.S., while the prevalence of prescription opioid use disorders, frequency of use, and related deaths increased, according to a study in the October 13 issue of JAMA.

Lupus Foundation of America Announces 2015 Award Recipients

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Healio reported the newly announced grant recipients from the Lupus Foundation of America.

ICD-10: Preparing for the Next Y2K

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ICD-10 starts tomorrow, October 1st. Your Coding memory will have to increase 5-fold or more as we go from 16,000 to 68,000 new ICD-10 codes. How this will affect each of us remains to be seen. There’s a lot to learn, and many wonder if this will be the next “Y2K”.

DSB: Drug Shortages - September 2015

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RheumNow is committed to reporting safety issues in our monthly Drug Safety Bulletins. Each month we will update you with reports of new, ongoing and resolved Drug Shortages that will affect the practicing rheumatologist.

Dr. Woodcock Gives Senate FDA Update on Biosimilars

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Biologics have been a great advance in therapeutics, but at great cost. Although biologics account for less than 1% of all prescriptions in the USA, they account for 28% percent of the cost of prescribed medications.

ICD-10 Tips for Procrastinators

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On October 1st, your coding memory will be getting a big and unwelcomed upgrade.

Even if the goverment shuts down, ICD-10 implementation goes forward.

Below are several sources to review what's ahead and what you should be focused on at this point.

The Deadly Truth behind Paxil’s Study 329

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Study 329 was published in 2001, and became a pivotal study for the anti-depressant drug Paxil (paroxetine). In 2002, over 2 million prescriptions were written for Paxil.

Biosimilar SB4 Performs Equally to Etanercept

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Biosimilars are rapidly growing. Many of these will have their first introduction to countries outside of the USA. There is concern whether biosimilars will provide identical pharmacodynamics, biological function, efficacy and toxicity to reference products, both in the short and long term.

PLLR - The Pregnancy & Lactation Labeling Rule Explained

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A recent article from Healio.com reviewed the FDA’s Pregnancy and Lactation Labeling Rule (PLLR) that became effective June 30th.

Future 2 Trial Shows Secukinumab Efficacy in Psoriatic Arthritis

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Secukinumab (Cosentyx) is an anti-IL-17 monoclonal antibody currently approved for use in moderate to severe psoriasis.  It has also been studied in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and shown to be safe and effective.

ACR Position on MOC Highlighted in Newsweek

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Newsweek has reported that the American Board of Internal Medicine has struggled in the last year with increasing criticism over its requirements for maintenance of certification, or MOC.

Gout: New Classification Criteria from ACR/EULAR

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The American College of Rheumatology and the European League against Rheumatism joined forces to finalize classification criteria for gout, a condition that affects 8.3 million Americans.

Funding for Rheumatology Research in Decline

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The Rheumatology Research Foundation and Rheumatology News report that research projects funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) dropped by 52% from 2010 to 2014, while the number funded by private foundations fell by 29% over that period.

Drug Safety Reports & FDA Updates – August 2015

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Safety reports from literature include long-term safety of rituximab, rituximab-induced neutropenia, tabalumab (Anti-BAFF Mab) results from the ILLUMINATE trial, colchicine toxicity increased in CKD patients, FDA updates and drug labeling changes, and more.

Romosozumab Surpasses Teraparitide in the STRUCTURE Study

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The experimental bone drug, romosozumab, has succeeded in meeting its primary endpoint by showing it was significantly more effective than teriparatide in a 12-month study assessing total hip bone density in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.  

Valeant Acquires Brodalumab from Astra-Zeneca

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Reuters reports that Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc (a Canadian Pharmaceutical company) is buying rights to AstraZeneca's late-stage experimental psoriasis drug, brodalumab, after it was dropped by codeveloper Amgen Inc in May. Amgen pulled out of the project b

Female "Viagra Pill" Controversy - Grandstanding or Equal Rights?

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The FDA is under pressure over the recent approval of the "female viagra" pill.  On August 18th, the FDA announced its approval for Addyi (flibanserin) to treat acquired, generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in premenopausal women.

Poll: Americans Favor Federal Action on Drug Prices

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Most Americans value the prescription products the drug industry produces, but they sure don't like the prices and want the federal government to take action, according to a new survey

Amgen Agrees to $71 Million Settlement over Enbrel & Aranesp Promotion

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Based on potentiallly off-label promotion of blockbuster drugs Aranesp and Enbrel, Amgen has agreed to a $71 million settlement with 48 states and the District of Columbia.