Does Psoriasis Increase Risk of Abdominal Aneurysm?

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Danish researchers studied a cohort of 59,423 mild psoriasis and 11,566 severe psoriasis patients over a 14 year period, and found 240 and 50 cases of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), repectively. (Citation source http://buff.ly/1YxGpDA)

RheumNow Week in Review - 15 April 2016

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Video recap of highlights from this week at RheumNow.com.

Biosimilar Reports - April 2016

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Major advances in biosimilars have occurred in the last three months, beginning with the FDA Arthritis Advisory Committee voting 21-3 to approve Celltrion’s Inflectra (CT-P13) and ending with the recent approval of Inflectra (generically referred to as infliximab dyyb).

Population-Based TB Risk and Prevention with RA and Biologics

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In a retrospective cohort comparison study, 42,180 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients were compared 1:4 with 168,000 normal controls to examine the incidence of new tuberculosis in Taiwan. The RA population included those receiving csDMARDs (36,162), etanercept (3,577), adalimumab (1,67

A Rocky Start for Biosimilar Inflectra?

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This week, when the FDA approved the biosimilar drug Inflectra as an alternative to infliximab (Remicade), it was only the second biosimilar to be granted approval in the United States, and was the fi

Methotrexate Toxicity Quantified

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Methotrexate (MTX) is a highly favored drug in rheumatology.  Yet it has numerous nuisance side effects that may limit its use or patient acceptance.

RheumNow Week in Review - 8 April 2016

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the rheumatology highlights from the news, media, and journals from this past week:

Statin Side Effects Are For Real

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The GAUSS-3 trial, recently published in JAMA, examined cholesterol-lowering interventions in patients with a high LDL (>120 mg/dl) and a history of statin intolerance to 2 or more statins. 

Tofacitinib Efficacy Revealed in OPAL Study

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Pfizer has issued a press release of its preliminary results from the OPAL study that examined the efficacy and safety of tofacitinib 5 mg and 10 mg twice daily (BID) in adults active psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

FDA Biosimilar Approval of Inflectra Viewed as a Milestone Advance

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On February 9th, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Arthritis Advisory Committee voted 21-3 in favor of approving the infliximab biosimilar, CT-P13/Inflectra, for use in all of infliximab's indications.

Cardiology Anti-inflammatory Trial Fails to Improve CV Outcomes

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Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston evaluated the efficacy and safety of the anti-inflammatory drug losmapimod on cardiovascular outcomes given to patients with a history of myocardial infarction and CV risk factors.

Severe Psoriasis Associated with a Renal Disease Risk

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There have been several reports of psoriasis being linked to chronic renal disease in the literature. Another population-based study has also found a link between severe psoriasis and kidney disease. 

Opioid Use in Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Opioid use and abuse is at an all time high. Epidemiologic and public health analyses have led to greater stringency and attempts to limit use have adversely effected those with arthritis.

Baricitinib Benefits Refractory RA

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The small molecule oral JAK inhibitor baricitinib was effective for patients with highly refractory rheumatoid arthritis, a phase III study found.

Drug Safety Bulletin - March 2016

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RheumNow is committed to reporting safety issues in our monthly Drug Safety Bulletins, wherein we will update you with reports of new, ongoing and resolved Drug Shortages that will affect rheumatology.   If you have suggestions or information about specific drug sho

High Mortal Risk in Rheumatoid Arthritis Following Arthroplasty

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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction (MI) and post-MI fatality compared with the general population. At issue is whether this applies to those undergoing a surgical procedure.

Biologics Are Safe When Used During Pregnancy in IBD

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This is a reposting of an earlier report on RheumNow that includes additional commentary from Dr. Sunada Kane, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic who specializes in both inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and pregnancy. 

Week in Review - 25 March 2016

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1. phase 3, BRIDGE study shows romosozumab (anti-sclerostin MAb) significantly increases lumbar BMD in men with osteoporosis


2. Statin use is associated with a 21% increased risk of skin cancer (NMSC) - data

Increasing Polypharmacy and Drug Interactions in Seniors

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Qato and colleagues have published in JAMA a cohort study that examined the use of both prescription and over-the-counter medications among older adults and the frequency of major drug-drug interactions. The study shows the elderly are especially at risk, and the situation is

First Head-to-Head TNF Trial Ends in a Draw

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Comparative efficacy trials may be the best way to make informed treatment choices in a sea of treatment options for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).  Recent years have seen impressive head-to-head (H2H) clinical trials for RA, including AMPLE (abatacept vs.