The History of Citrullination

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1998 marked the introduction of citrulline as a unique target in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. The hallmark article by Schellekens et al in the Journal of Clinical Investigation has since been cited over 500 times.  Dr.

NICE Judges Apremilast Less Cost Effective than TNF Inhibitors

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The National Institute for Heath and Care Excellence has turned down Otezla for coverage under the U.K. healthcare system for psoriatic arthritis.

Targeting Autoantibodies in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

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Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis carries a high mortality rate and can be a management challenge. Moreover, exacerbations of IPF may be fatal. A multicenter uncontrolled study examined the utility of targeting autoantibody production with revealed surprising results.

Frequency of Infliximab Infusion Reactions

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A Canadian registry shows that in community-based infusion clinics, infusion reactions to IFX are uncommon and mild to moderate in nature.

DSB: EULAR 2015 Safety Reports

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Biologic Use Curtails Sepsis Events. An analysis of the German biologics register, RABBIT, examined the effect of current biologic therapy on future risk of sepsis (#OP0161).

The EULAR 2015 Report – Friday and Saturday

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These abstracts and presentations were presented last week on the 12th and 13th of June at the EULAR 2015 annual meeting in Rome.

Expanding Global Biosimilar Market

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Between 2010 and 2013, $95 billion in branded pharmaceutical patents will have expired, leading to significantly higher sales opportunities for those manufacturing generics and biosimilars.

The EULAR 2015 Report- Friday

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These abstracts and presentations were presented 12 June at the EULAR 2015 annual meeting.

The EULAR 2015 Report - Wednesday

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EULAR 2015 started the afternoon of Wednesday June 10th.

High Flare Rates with Drug Withdrawal in JIA

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While many adult rheumatologists are able to lessen or withdraw DMARD and biologic therapy in adults, little is known about the success of this practice in pediatric rheumatology clinics.

Tofacitinib Equal to Etanercept in Psoriasis, but only at 10 mg bid Dose

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A 12-week, phase III, non-inferiority, randomized clinical trial of tofacitinib, etanercept or placebo was conducted in 1106 patients with plaque psoriasis.

Nonadherence to Self-Injected Biologics is High

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Researchers from the University of Manchester investigated self-reported adherence to biologic treatment in RA and found that 41% of patients were non-adherent to adalimumab therapy at least once, and 23% were nonadherent overall. http://bit.ly/1KA2

Medicare D and Costly Biologics

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25% of Medicare beneficiaries with rheumatoid arthritis use high-cost biologics.  Yazdany and coworkers have analyzed a national cohort of beneficiaries and compared Medicare part D plans.

Amgen Halts Development of Brodalumab

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IL-17 inhibitors are being developed for treatment of psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis. Broadalumab has been in phase II & III trials and been developed by a partnership between Amgen and Astra-Zeneca.

RA Sarilumab Trials Meet Primary Endpoints

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Three phase III studies of sarilumab (SARIL-RA-TARGET, -EASY and -ASCERTAIN), a fully-human IL6 receptor antibody, have been reported and met primary end points in these pivotal clinical trials.

Amgen & Abbvie Increase the Price of TNF Inhibitors

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The manufacturers of the 2 best selling TNF inhibitors, Enbrel and Humira, have announced a 9.9% price increase of May 1st. The current average price of Enbrel is $42,000 per annum.

Safety Reports & Updates – May 2015

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A Microneedle Pill as an Alternative to Injectable Drug

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Carl Schoellhammerhas just won the Lemelson-MIT National Collegiate Student Prize for his invention - the microneedle pill.

Tanezumab in Osteoarthritis: Data Presented at OARSI

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Pooled analyses of the tanezumab (a nerve growth factor inhibitor) phase 3 studies was presented at the 2015 Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) World Congress.

Economic Impact of Biosimilars

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According to the Federal Trade Commission biosimilars have the potential to save the U.S. healthcare system $250 billion through 2022.