Best of 2018: Patients May Not Fill Your Prescription

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A new study linking administrative claims and electronic health records (EHRs) shows that nearly 40% of patients fill and take newly prescribed methotrexate (MTX), tofacitinib or biologics. 

Kan et al set out to estimate the extent and predictors of primary nonadherence in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who received new prescriptions for methotrexate, biologics or tofacitinib.

Best of 2018: Ustekinumab May be Effective in Lupus

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Ronald F van Vollenhoven and colleagues have reported in Lancet that ustekinumab (UST), an interleukin-12 and -23 inhibitor, when added to usual therapy in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, was shown to be superior to placebo at improving clinical efficacy and laboratory param

Best of 2018: Unproven But Profitable Stem Cell Clinics

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Stem cell clinics are popular and proliferating as they are largely a cash business and fall outside of FDA regulatory control. In lieu of scientific proof, most advocates use patient testimonials and the placebo effect to back up their claims.

RheumNow Podcast – Rheumatologist Salaries (12.21.18)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news from RheumNow for the week ending 12/21/18.

Zolendronate Protects Against Fracture in Osteopenia

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The NEJM reports that the use of zoledronate significantly reduces the risk of nonvertebral or vertebral fragility fractures in women with osteopenia.

Reassuring VTE Data for Tofacitinib

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No significant differences in risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE) were seen in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with tofacitinib (Xeljanz) and those receiving tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, analysis of administrative data showed.

H2H: Ixekizumab vs. Adalimumab in Psoriatic Arthritis

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Lilly has issued an advanced press release on its SPIRIT-H2H trial, wherein ixekizumab (Taltz) was shown to be more effective than than adalimumab (Humira) in a 24 week psoriatic arthritis study.

Cryotherapy Never FDA Approved

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Another injury related to whole body cryotherapy (WBC) has been reported by practitioners in Philadelphia, serving as yet another warning of WBC's potential to cause serious adverse effects.

RheumNow Podcast – Vasculitis and Strange Bedfellows (12.14.18)

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

CDC Top 15 Most Common Opioid Overdose Drugs

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The Dec. 12 issue of the National Vital Statistics Reports from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the most commonly abused drugs causing drug overdose deaths (between 2011-2016) include fentanyl, heroin, oxycodone, and cocaine.

Psoriatic Arthritis Does Not Add to Pregnancy Problems

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When psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients become pregnant, they do not have more infertility or adverse pregnancy outcomes compared to healthy controls.

No End in Sight for the Shingrix Vaccine Shortage

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There is a national shortage of a new shingles vaccine, Shingrix, which is a problem for those who want to start the vaccine and those seeking to receive their second and final injection. 

IL-23 Outduels IL-17 Inhibition in Psoriasis

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Johnson & Johnson has announced the preliminary results of its phase 3 ECLIPSE study; a head-to-head trial wherein guselkumab (Tremfya; an IL-23 inhibitor) was compared to secukinumab (Cosentyx; an IL-17 inhibitor) in adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.

CV Risks Similar in Systemic Sclerosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Interactions between disease-related inflammatory processes and the development of several morbidities have been well-studied in RA, particularly heart disease. This is not the case for the often-lethal SSc (estimated standardized mortality ratio between 2.5 and 4.0).

SLE and Risk of Malignancy

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The risk for cancer in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients has been inconsistently studied.  A new metanalysis shows that SLE has an increased risk for 16 specific cancers and decreased risk for prostate cancer and cutaneous melanoma. 

Patients Don't Always Tell the Truth

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Sometimes patients withhold information from their doctors, and a new study suggests that as much as 60 - 80% of patients consciously omit information to their doctors, despite knowing this may bear on their health and well-being.

RheumNow Podcast – Can RA Be Prevented (12.7.18)

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

Chronic Kidney Disease Increasing in the U.S.A.

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JAMA has published the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study showing that that, from 2002 to 2016, the US burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) increased, with some states exhibiting more than twice the burden as others.

Deprescribing to Battle Polypharmacy

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The Gerontological Society of America has published a report calling for deprescribing as a means of managing polypharmacy in the elderly.

PRAIRI Study - Can RA Be Prevented?

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B-cell depletion may offer a means of delaying the onset of clinical arthritis in adults at high risk, according to the PRAIRI study - a proof-of-mechanism study in pre-clinical RA patients.