A Focus on WOCBA (Women of Childbearing Age)

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Largely because it can be difficult to do studies in pregnant women, gaps remain in the area of rheumatic disease in pregnancy. This year’s ACR highlights some important new points to consider.

ACR 2019 - Report From Day 3 (Tuesday)

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Here's my summary of key studies presented Tuesday. 

Tofacitinib in Polyarticular JIA

Psoriatic Arthritis at ACR 2019

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Below are several of the highlight studies in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) presented at the ACR 2019 annual meeting in Atlanta. 

ACR 2019 - Report From Day 2 (Monday)

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Monday was another full day of sessions and studies here in Atlanta. Following is my roundup of day two.

The Safety of Methotrexate

Influenza Vaccine Updates And Pearls At ACR 2019

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As we enter flu season it is of the utmost importance that we remember to assess our patients’ influenza vaccine status at each visit.

ACR 2019 – Best of the Plenary Sessions

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The ACR Plenary Sessions featured some of the best research presented on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday in Atlanta. Here are my seven notable highlights from the Plenaries.

ACR 2019 - Report from Day One (Sunday)

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Sunday was the first full day of scientific sessions at the 2019 ACR/ARP meeting in Atlanta. Yesterday we shared our initial news articles, videos and more with you. Following is my roundup of day one. 

Delays in Diagnosis

Part 1:  The “P” in Prednisone stands for Poison...and Other Pearls

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Everyone has life hacks.  Years of experience and doing the same things repetitively allow us to figure out little tricks to make life easier. A rat in a maze, finding itself at a dead end, will back up and search for a clearing.

New Treatments in Axial SpA from #ACR2019

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There were new developments in the treatment of axial Spondyloarthritis (AS) at ACR 2019. The first area is on the use of anti-IL17A drugs, secukinumab and ixekizumab in non-radiographic AS. The second area is the use of JAK-1 inhibitor Upadacitinib in radiographic AS.

RheumNow Podcast – ACR 2019 Round Up (11.15.19)

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Dr. Jack Cush presents his favorite abstracts and presentations from Rheumatology Round Up and ACR 2019.

RheumNow Podcast – Better Ways to Treat Gout (11.8.19)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.

T2T Lowers Mortality in Gout

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A Spanish prospective cohort of active, uncontrolled gout patients were followed and showed that failure to reach a target serum uric acid (sUA) level of 6 mg/dl (0.36 mmol/L) or less was associated with a 2-3 fold increase in mortality.

Most Psoriatics Go on Biologics

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A cohort study of 97 patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) examined the prescribing practices in PsA, and found biologics are commonly initiated as the primary mode of therapy in outpatients with PsA. However, treatment modifications can be made regarding patients who are managed with apremilast alone.

New EMA Warnings for Tofacitinib in Patients at Risk for Clots

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The European Medicines Agency safety committee (PRAC) has concluded that Xeljanz (tofacitinib - TOFA) could increase the risk of blood clots in the lungs and in deep veins in patients who are already at high risk for venous thromboembolic events. The PRAC is recommending that TOFA should be used with caution in patients at high risk of blood clots (VTE), regardless of dose used.

Mallinckrodt Receives SEC Subpoena

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Reuters reports that Mallinckrodt Plc has received a subpoena from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for documents related to the drugmaker’s lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Year in Review - Psoriatic Arthritis 2019

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Major new insights into the treatment of psoriatic arthritis dominated the headlines during the past year, with a head-to-head trial comparing IL-17A inhibition with tumor necrosis factor blockade, another study considering whether methotrexate can improve outcomes with anti-TNF therapy in PsA, and an investigation into the effects of biologic therapy on bone.

EXCEED Study: Cosentyx Equals Humira in Psoriatic Arthritis

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Novartis has announced the results of the EXCEED trial that pitted its IL-17 inhibitor, Cosentyx (secukinumab - SEC) against Humira (adalimumab - ADA) in patients with active psoriatic arthritis. The trial demonstrated that SEC was not non-inferior to ADA, but failed to meet its primary endpoint of superiority over ADA as far as drug efficacy.

Rinvoq (upadacitinib) Effective in Psoriatic Arthritis

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Yesterday, AbbVie reported the top-line study results showing the efficacy of Rinvoq (upadacitinib - UPAD) adult patients with active psoriatic arthritis who previously had an inadequate response to a biologic DMARD.

RheumNow Podcast – Ghastly, Ghoulish News (10.31.19)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews recent journal articles and info bits from the past week on RheumNow.com. 

Frequent DMARD Discontinuations During Rheumatoid Pregnancies

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A Canadian population-based study shows that pregnant women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) frequently discontinue their DMARD medications, especially in the first trimester.