Rituximab Safety Concerns when Used in anti-TNF Refractory RA

Save

The SUNSTONE study evaluated the long‐term safety of rituximab in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) previously exposed to ≥1 anti–tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) and showed a stable, but high, rate of serious infections, opportunistic infections and an overall higher mortality rate.

Rituximab Superior to Cyclosporine for Membranous Nephropathy

Save

The NEJM has reported that rituximab (RTX) and cyclosporine (CYA) was noninferior to cyclosporine in inducing complete or partial remission of proteinuria at 12 months and was superior in maintaining proteinuria remission up to 24 months. 

RheumNow Podcast – Boiling Hot MAS (7.12.19)

Save

Dr. Jack Cush reviews this week's news and journal reports featured on RheumNow.com. PsA v. non-PsA pregnancies, Still's disease, lupus, nutritional supplements and dietary interventions, use of cannabis, tanezumab in OA, CBD oils and more.

EHR-Related Adverse Events Usually Involve Medications

Save

Concerns about the unintended risks inherent in electronic health records (EHR) by analysis of EHR–related harms identified from large database of malpractice suits and claims; they found that EHR related adverse events exist, and may be associated with an severe harms and uncommonly, death.

Safety Concerns Offset the Modest Improvements of Tanezumab in Osteoarthritis

Save

JAMA reports that although tanezumab is modestly effective in moderate to severe osteoarthritis (knee or hip), with statistically significant improvements in pain and physical function, the tanezumab (TNZ) treated patients had more joint safety events and total joint replacements than pa

Pregnancy Outcomes Improve in Lupus

Save

Pregnancy for patients with lupus has long been considered high risk and associated with both medical and obstetric complications, but outcomes have improved over the last 2 decades and continue to improve. The large decline in in-hospital maternal mortality was greater for lupus pregnancies than for non-lupus pregnancies. Findings from a retrospective cohort study are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Opioids Overused in Acute Gout

Save

Opioids were commonly given to patients as a treatment for acute gout attacks, despite the availability of other effective and appropriate therapies, a retrospective study found.

Benefits vs Harms for Osteoporosis Drug Continuation or Discontinuation

Save

While it is clear that long-term bisphosphonate therapies reduce fracture risk in women with osteoporosis, it is unclear how to counter-balance these benefits against rare serious harms and how to optimize therapeutic benefits with appropriate drug holidays.

A systematic analysis of 48 studies compared long-term osteoporosis drug treatment (ODT) (>3 years) versus control versus ODT continuation versus durg discontinuation, to examine incident fractures or harms.

Be ‘on point’: Guidelines for rheumatic complications of immunotherapy

Save

Editor's note: July 1 - 5, RheumNow is running the best of the EULAR 2019 meeting. At EULAR 2019, Madrid, several recommendations including RA, SLE, and Sjogren’s syndrome have been developed. Agreement for principles with respect to the treatment of immune mediated adverse events from cancer immunotherapy are lacking.

RheumNow Podcast – EULAR 2019 Streamin' - (6.14.19)

Save

Editor's note: July 1 - 5, RheumNow is running the best of the EULAR 2019 meeting. Dr. Jack Cush reports from Madrid on several novel presentations from EULAR 2019, including low-dose steroids in hand OA, ABA vs. ADA in double positive RA patients, psoriasis predictors of PsA, tildrakizumab and more.

Allopurinol Fails to Curtail Hypertension

Save

Editor's note: July 1 - 5, RheumNow is running the best of the EULAR 2019 meeting. A novel trial presented at EULAR 2019 last week assessed whether the use of urate-lowering therapy (ULT) would control hypertension in those at risk; however, results of this trial were largely negative.

EULAR 2019 Report – Day 2

Save

Editor's note: July 1 - 5, RheumNow is running the best of the EULAR 2019 meeting. It was a full and lively second day in Madrid with sessions dedicated to Lupus, RA, Sjogren’s, imaging, rare diseases, psoriatic arthritis and spondyloarthritis. Here are a few of the highlights from day two at EULAR 2019.

Blinded by the Use of Antimalarials in Lupus?

Save

Editor's note: July 1 - 5, RheumNow is running the best of EULAR 2019 meeting. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) will decrease SLE flares improve lipids, decrease clots, improve survival, augment the response to mycophenolate and are the cornerstone of treatment as per the SLE EULAR gui

CAM Use is Common in Psoriasis

Save

The July issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology reports that patients with psoriasis are frequent users of complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) largely because of disatisfaction with traditional medications.

RheumNow Podcast – Prevalence of Methotrexate Toxicities (6.28.19)

Save

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

Mortality from Falls in the Elderly

Save

JAMA reports that there is a trend of increasing mortality from falls in older US adults between 2000 to 2016 and that mortality rates are increased with increasing age. 

DMARD Success in Myositis-Related Interstitial Lung Disease

Save

It is estimated that up to 50% of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy will be complicated by interstitial lung disease, and having ILD may impart a poor prognosis. A recent review of the Johns Hopkins myositis-related ILD cohort has shown that azathioprine and mycophenolate mofetil use is associated improved lung function and less prednisone use.

Study Looks at Opioid Use After Knee Surgery

Save

A small study looked at whether reducing the number of opioid tablets prescribed after knee surgery would reduce postoperative use and if preoperative opioid-use education would reduce it even more

Allopurinol Fails to Curtail Hypertension

Save

A novel trial presented at EULAR 2019 last week assessed whether the use of urate-lowering therapy (ULT) would control hypertension in those at risk; however, results of this trial were largely negative.

Hypertension is one of the many comorbidities that plagues gout patients.

Is Methotrexate Necessary with Tofacitinib?

Save

Rheumatoid arthritis patients taking tofacitinib (Xeljanz) plus methotrexate who achieved low disease activity (LDA) may be able to withdraw from the latter agent without significant worsening of disease activity, a researcher reported at EULAR 2019 in Madrid.