CRA Position Statement on Medical Cannabis Use

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Courtesy of the Canadian Rheumatology Association (CRA) website, here are consensus guidelines on medical cannabis use.

Rheumatology patients experience prevalent pain that is only modestly controlled with current treatment strategies.

RheumNow Podcast – You Owe Me a DEXA (3.15.19)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews this week's news and highlights from RheumNow.com.

Lower TNF Inhibitor Persistence in Spondylitis

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A claims data analysis shows that only one-third of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) treated with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) therapy remain on their initial drug in the 2 years post initiation.

Multiple Delays in Referral of New RA Patients

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A UK study of early onset arthritis or new rheumatoid arthritis patients shows multiple sources of delayed referral to the first rheumatology consultation.

Senate Drills Drug Makers Over Price

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Reuters reported that today, the US Senate Finance Committee met to question the executives from seven US pharmaceutical companies on the rising price drugs in America. 

Impressive Survival of Interleukin-1 Inhibitors in Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

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The drug retention rate of interleukin-1 inhibitors (IL-1) used to treat systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) appears to be quite high according to a new study. 

TKR - One or Two at a Time?

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His would-be surgeon tried mightily to talk him out of a bilateral knee replacement. At 340 pounds, the patient's BMI -- above 43 -- was a significant contraindication. 

HHS Issues New EHR Record Sharing Rule

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WASHINGTON -- Patients would have access to their electronic health records free of charge and would be able to transfer them more easily from one provider to another under rules proposed Monday by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Biologic High Out of Pocket Costs for Medicare Patients

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Specialty tier drugs, including biologics, accounts for nearly half of all medication spending by Medicare Part D patients. High out-of-pocket costs for these patients is a major concern. 

Pain Drives the Use of Medical Marijuana

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A report from the University of Michigan examined state-wide medical marijuana showing most of it is used for chronic pain.

Compounded Pain Creams - Expensive Placebos?

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The Annals of Internal Medicine reports that the growth and use of compounded pain creams is unwarranted as they were no better than placebo in a randomized controlled trial, suggesting their higher costs are unjustifiable compared to other topical commercially available agents (lidocain

Obesity Needs to be Treated in Psoriatic Arthritis

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Obese patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who followed a short-term, very low-energy diet showed improvements in multiple aspects of disease activity, a prospective study found.

2019: the Year of Price Hikes

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In 2019 there have been numerous reports of higher drug pricing for many drugs.  Yesterday it was reported that the price of insulin drugs have more than doubled from 2012 to 2016.

Febuxostat Gets Reprieve from FDA Advisory Panel

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On January 11, 2019 the FDA convened two advisory panels (the Arthritis Advisory Committee [AAC] and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee [DSaRM]) to consider the cardiovascular safety of febuxostat (Uloric) based on the 2018 “Cardiovascular Safety of Febuxostat and Allopurinol

Assessing the Performance of Aging Physicians

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A JAMA Viewpoint article examines the performance of aging surgeons and notes that the effects of aging affects physicians variably and that physician competency should be based on functional age (and abilities) rather than chronologic age. This argues against a mandatory retirement age for surgeons.

RheumNow Podcast – Gout Spot Light (1.11.19)

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Dr. Jack Cush discusses the highlights from the past week on RheumNow.com:

Price of Drug Promotion Skyrockets

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JAMA reports that health care advertising costs in the U.S. have almost doubled over the past two decades, surging from $17.7 billion in 1997 to at least $29.9 billion in 2016.

BMS Buyout of Celgene for $74 Billion

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Reuters reports that Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) has announced its intention to buy Celgene Corp for nearly $74 billion in a cash-and-stock deal.

2018 Rheumatology Year In Review

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This annual appraisal of hallmark moments, news and research articles from 2018 are gleaned from that published in RheumNow during the last year and filtered by other news sources and literature review.  The top 10 list herein is rooted in what rheumatologists should know and what will likel

Uncertain Long Term Efficacy in Trials of Knee Osteoarthritis

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A systematic review and network meta-analysis of 47 randomized clinical trials in knee osteoarthritis finds uncertainty around estimates of effect size for pain scores thereby casting uncertainty over the long-term efficacy of medications for knee osteoarthritis.