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Opioid Use in Ankylosing Spondylitis
A prospective study has shown that ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients often require narcotic analgesics to manage pain unresponsive to antiinflammatory therapies.
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The RheumNow Week in Review - 26 January 2018
The RheumNow Week in Review discusses the past week's news, journal articles and highlights from RheumNow.com. This week's report covers the price of biologics treatment in psoriasis, comorbidities in myositis, bronchiectasis with MPO antibodies, and the risk of secondary TNF failure with anti-drug antibodies.
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Anti-Drug Antibodies Partly Explain Secondary TNF Inhibitor Failures
An observational study of patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or spondyloarthritis (SpA) experiencing secondary failure to TNF inhibitor (TNFi) therapy showed that (secondary) loss of efficacy to a TNFi was associated with anti-drug antibodies in less than 30% of patients.
Read ArticleCimzia Limits Xray Progression in Axial Spondyloarthritis
The RAPID-axSpA study of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) patients showed that certolizumab pegol (CZP) treatment yielded rapid clinical improvement with limited radiographic progression and MRI inflammation at the sacroiliiac (SI) joint over 4 years.
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Apremilast’s Rapid Onset in Psoriatic Arthritis
Monotherapy with apremilast (Otezla) among patients with psoriatic arthritis who were biologic-naive was significantly more effective than placebo as early as week 2 in a phase IIIb study.
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Problems with Biologic Drug Storage
Is your patient’s refrigerator the problem with the inefficacy of biologic therapies? Studies show most patients don't store their biologics correctly, which may be a source of limited drug efficacy.
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Prevention of HBV Infection: How Are We Doing?
In 2016 the WHO set out to eliminate HBV infection as a public health threat by 2030. So far, we are far from this goal as vaccine implementation has been suboptimal in a number of important patient populations, including patients with rheumatologic diseases, as well as other immunocompromising diseases like HIV.
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Salt Drives Gut-Brain Connection via IL-17
A study from Nature Neuroscience shows that a high salt diet may mediate neurovascular disease by altering microbiome and the expansion of TH17 cells in the small intestine, thereby increasing plasma interleukin-17 (IL-17) and its subsequent effects on endothelium in the brain.
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The RheumNow Week in Review - 12 January 2018
Dr. Jack Cush reviews a dozen highlights from the past week on RheumNow.com.
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40% of Arthritis Patients Fail to Receive Exercise Guidance
The latest issue of CDC’s MMWR reports that exercise counseling among arthritis patients increased from 52% to 61% (2002 to 2014); hence ~40% do not receive health care provider counseling, suggesting the need for provider education and training in exercise counseling, and improved electroni
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2018 Predictions for Rheumatology
MedPage Today Editors surveyed a few rheumatologists for their major news predictions in 2018. Read on for predictions regarding drug pricing, biosimilars, autoimmunity and checkpoint inhibitors, and thrombotic events and JAK inhibition.
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The RheumNow Week in Review - 5 January 2018
Dr Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.
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Bone Marrow Edema May be Found in Normals, Athletes and Military Recruits
Rheumatology has published a study demonstrating that bone marrow edema as measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be found in healthy people, but that such changes do not change with intense physical activity.
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MEASURE 3 Study - Anti-IL17 Benefits Persist in Spine Disease
Patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) have shown rapid and sustained responses to secukinumab (Cosentyx) in a third phase III trial that includes a higher dose of this anti-interleukin-17A monoclonal antibody, researchers reported.
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Therapeutic Update: 5 Questions on FDA Hearing for Tofacitinib in PsA (Best of 2017)
In this Therapeutic Update, Drs. Mease, Gibofsky and Cush answer five questions regarding the August 3rd FDA Arthritis Advisory Committee meeting that reviewed the potential approval of tofacitinib (Xeljanz) in patients with active psoriatic arthritis. The panel was nearly unanimous (10-1) in favor of the efficacy and safety profile of of tofacitinib, and similarly voted 10-1 to approve this drug for use in PsA. Final decisions on these recommendations from the AAC panel will be made at a later date by the FDA.
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The RheumNow Week in Review - 22 December 2017
Dr. Jack Cush reviews highlights and news from the past week on RheumNow.com.
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Cardiac Disturbances Increased in Spondyloarthritis
A prospective Swedish study between 2001–2009 found a higher risk of aortic regurgitation, pacemaker, AV block and atrial fibrillation in SpA, AS, uSpA and PsA patients.
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Frequency of Rheumatoid Knee Replacements Down in the Biologic Era
A time-series analysis of incident rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients seen between 1996 and 2011 in the Danish National Patient Register shows that the incidence of hip (THR) and knee replacements (TKR) began to decrease after the introdution of biologic agents for RA in 2002.
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The RheumNow Week in Review - 15 December 2017
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news from the past week on RheumNow.com. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and SoundCloud.com.
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