All News
Dramatic Results for Interferon Blocker in SLE
Blocking the type 1 interferon receptor with the monoclonal antibody anifrolumab shows promise as a treatment for moderate-to-severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), according to a phase IIb study presented here.
Read Article
Long-Acting Opioids Associated with Higher Mortality Risk
Prescription of long-acting opioids for chronic noncancer pain was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality, including deaths from causes other than overdose, compared with anticonvulsants or cyclic antidepressants, according to a study appearing in the June 14 issue of JAMA.
Read Article
No Increased Risk of Colitis Flares in Secukinumab Trials
No increased incidence of inflammatory bowel disease has been seen among patients with psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, or ankylosing spondylitis treated with secukinumab (Cosentyx) in the clinical trial programs for this interleukin (IL)-17A inhibitor, a researcher reported here.
Read Article
U-ACT-Early and the Benefits of Tocilizumab
Lancet has published the results of the U-ACT-early study assessing the efficacy of monotherapy versus combination therapy using an interleukin-6 receptor-blocking monoclonal antibody, tocilizumab, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Read Article
EULAR: Tofacitinib Effective in Ankylosing Spondylitis
Desiree van der Heidje, MD, PhD presented the results of a 16-week, phase II, dose-ranging study of tofacitinib (TOFA) in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis.
Read Article
GiACTA Study Shows Benefit of Adding Tocilizumab to Steroid Taper in Giant Cell Arteritis
The GiACTA study has published its top line results demonstrating the efficacy of adding tocilizumab (TCZ) to steroid-tapered therapy in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA).
Read Article
Eight Deaths Linked to Methotrexate in Australia
Methotrexate , a cornerstone drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, has led to 90 hospitalizations and 7 deaths according to a recent report from the Medical Journal of Australia.
Read Article
April-May 2016 Top Social Media News
In April and May 2016, RheumNow sent 82 tweets regarding news, research and teaching points that strongly impacted the rheumatology community and resulted in a reach of 203,500 impressions, with 136 mentions, and over 6378 visits to RheumNow.com. Here are the top tweets from April and May.
Read Article
RheumNow Week in Review - 3 June 2016
This week's highlights from RheumNow.com include:
Read Article
Patient Reluctance to Take Bisphosphonates
The NY Times reports that millions of Americans with osteoporosis are driven to stop or not take bisphosphonate therapies over the fear of exceedingly rare side effects - osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) and atypical femoral fractures (AFF).
Read Article
Gastrointestinal Perforation Risk increased for Tofacitinib and Tocilizumab
Gastrointestinal perforations (GIP) are not historically believed to be a common or uncommon complication. Hence, when this was noted in the tocilizumab (TCZ) and tofacitinib (TOFA) developmental trials, it was a curious if not perplexing finding.
Read Article
Patients Undertreated and Uninformed on Pain Meds and NSAIDs
Pain management in the U.S. is at a vexing crossroad. The news tells us that narcotics are increasingly being restricted for their dangerous side effects and inappropriate use.
Read Article
RheumNow Week in Review – 27 May 2016
Dr. Cush reviews highlights from this week on RheumNow.com.
Read Article
IL-23 Inhibitor Effective in Crohn's Disease
Selective IL-23 inhibition has been touted to be the next great advance in the treatment of inflammatory bowel and psoriatic disease.
Read Article
TB Management Questions
The following is a compilation of several frequently asked questions regarding tuberculosis (TB) testing or treatment in patients on a TNF inhibitor (TNFi) or other biologic agents.
Read Article
ORBIT Study Shows Rituximab and TNF inhibitor Equivalence
The initial choice of biologic is crucial to long-term success. Yet there are few studies evaluating head-to-head differences in some of our most popular therapies.
Read Article
RheumNow Week in Review - 19 May 2016
Dr. Jack Cush reviews this week's news and research highlights from RheumNow.com.
Read Article
Risk Factors for Bisphosphonate Bone Complications
Rare reports of bisphosphonate associated atypical femoral fractures (AFF) and osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) have raised concerns about the chronic use of bisphosphonates. The risk of AFF and ONJ was assessed in an analysis of the Swedish national database.
Read Article
Secukinumab Improves Patient-Reported Outcomes in Psoriatic Arthritis (FUTURE 1)
Secukinumab (Cosentyx) has recently been approved for use in ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis; the latter largely based on the FUTURE 2 and the just reported FUTURE 1 clinical trial. FUTURE 1 demonstrates the efficacy and safety of secukinumab, with inital weekly intravenous loading, given monthly as a subcutaneous injection.
Read Article
Generics Surge the Market
Generics are being approved at a record-setting pace. Thanks to the 2012 FDA Safety and Innovation Act, there are new funds generated by manufacturers' fees for drug applications to hasten the approval of generics. In 2015 alone, the FDA has approved 580 generic drugs – the highest number on record – while another 146 were granted tentative approval.
Read Article
