No Significant Increased Risk with TNF Inhibitors During Pregnancy

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A population-based study of 1,272,424 live-born infants from Denmark and Sweden examined the prevalence of birth defects among infants born to 683 women with chronic inflammatory disease (inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, or psoriasis)

Biosimilar of Remicade Works in Ankylosing Spondylitis

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CT-P13, a biosimilar of infliximab (Remicade), demonstrated comparable and durable efficacy in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a multinational study found.

Updated RA Treat-to-Target International Recommendations

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In 2010, Smolen and a group of international rheumatologists developed a series of recommendations addressing the concept of treat-to-target (T2T) in the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Risk of Multiple Sclerosis with TNF Inhibitor Therapy

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Researchers from the DANBIO registry have linked their registry of 30,033 arthritis patients with the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Registry (DMSR) to identify all new multiple sclerosis cases occuring in arthritis patients and those receiving TNF inhibitors (TNFi). 

PML is Very Rare in Lupus

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A systematic review of the literature was done to assess the relationship between immunosuppressive therapy, adult systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the onset of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy.

10 Ways Rheumatoid Arthritis Could’ve Killed Glenn Frey

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I was truly stunned Monday when it was announced that Glenn Frey, from the Eagles, had died as a result of complications from his rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis and pneumonia.

Methotrexate Nonadherence is Common

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Researchers from Belgium studied patient adherence to MTX (given orally or via injection) in 129 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients over a 16-week period using an electronic monitoring system and two validated adherence questionnaires.

French Cannibinoid Phase I Study Gone Wrong

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Six volunteers were admitted to the University Hospital of Rennes in France last week after partaking in the Phase I trial of a new medication meant to treat mood disorders such as anxiety.

DSB Reports & Updates - January 2016

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Comparative Harmful Risks with Targeted Immunomodulators. Desai et al did a systematic review of the literature, findings of 10 head-to-head RCTs and 51 observational studies.

FDA Approves Cosentyx for Ankylosing Spondylitis and Psoriatic Arthritis

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Cosentyx (secukinumab) was approved by the FDA on 15 January, 2016 for patients with active ankyosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Steroid Over-Prescribing Persists in RA

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Almost half of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the UK receive glucocorticoids from primary care physicians, and of those who are prescribed glucocorticoids, more than half receive more than 10 mg a day.

Prescribing Rules

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If you are responsible for the outcome and welfare of patients – you need prescribing rules.

If you are supervising others or responsible for the training of those learning rheumatology – you need prescribing rules.

Combination or Monotherapy Tocilizumab in Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Several rheumatoid arthritis studies have shown that tocilizumab (TCZ) may be as effective as monotherapy when compared to combination therapy (methotrexate plu

DSB: Managing Methotrexate Toxicity (Best of 2015: #1)

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Methotrexate was first introduced in 1955 for leukemia and in 1986 became FDA approved for the treatment of adults with severe, active, rheumatoid arthritis or children with active polyarticular-course juvenile RA.

2015 ACR RA Guidelines Released– Finally! (Best of 2015: #2)

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ACR 2015 RA treatment guidelines were published yesterday, nearly a year after they were preliminarily presented at the 2014 ACR meeting in Boston. After a year of review and revision these have been posted.

The Nine Lives of Hydroxychloroquine (Best of 2015)

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Hydroxychloroquine is one of many medications frequently used in rheumatology practice.

Alcohol and Methotrexate - What Do You Advise? (Best of 2015: #9)

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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?

Preventing Hepatitis B Reactivation Due to Immunosuppressive Drug Treatments (Best of 2015)

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Reactivation of hepatitis B virus infection can have devastating consequences, especially amongst those patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy.

Chikungunya Spread Continues (Best of 2015)

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The spread of the viral infection Chikungunya continues with the CDC issuing a travel advisory for those traveling to Mexico, where over 7000 cases of the viral infection have been reported.

Should Lupus Patients Receive Influenza and Pneumococcal Vaccines? (Best of 2015)

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Barry Waters, MD*: I have a 21 yr old lupus nephritis patient on mycophenolate, hydroxychloroquine and prednisone 40 mg per day.