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Polypharmacy Increased in Psoriatic Arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is plagued by obesity, depression and increased comorbidities; now it appears that polypharmacy adds to the burden of managing PsA.
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A Pilot Trial of Anifrolumab in Discoid Lupus
A research report in JAMA Dermatology describes the use of the type 1 interferon receptor inhibitor anifrolumab in patients with chronic discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE).
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Itaconate - A Potential New Immunosuppressive
Researchers have revealed the modulatory effect of the anti-inflammatory metabolite itaconate (ITA) on T helper and T regulatory cells, which may lead to new therapeutic approaches to treating some autoimmune diseases.
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Cost-Effective Use of Biological and Targeted Synthetic DMARDs
An international task force of 13 European experts have developed evidence-based points to consider regarding the cost-effective use of biological and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) in the treatment of inflammatory rheumatic diseases (including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis).
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Big Time Vasculitis (3.10.2023)
Dr. Jack Cush Reviews the News and Journal articles from the past week on RheumNow. This weeks highlights includes insights on scleroderma, myositis, vasculitis and answers the question - does aggressive biologic treatment of psoriasis prevent future psoriatic arthritis?
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Long-Term Survival of Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies
A single center cohort study analyzed the outcome and survival of idiopathic inflammatory myositis (IIM) patients and showed good 5 and 10 year survival but showed significant declined 15-25 years post-diagnosis.
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Higher Rehospitalization Rates in Younger SLE Patients
A Medicare study shows that young adults with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) exhibit very high 30-day rehospitalization rates (36%) that are significantly higher than older SLE patients and age matched non-SLE patients.
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Does Methotrexate Work in Alopecia Universalis?
Alopecia areata totalis (AT) and universalis (AU) are the most severe and difficult to treat forms of alopecia areata (AA).
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Does Biologic Treatment in Psoriasis Reduce the Risk of Psoriatic Arthritis?
Retrospective claims analysis shows that psoriasis patients treated with either an IL-12/23 inhibitor or an IL-23 inhibitor had a lower risk of developing incident psoriatic arthritis, compared to TNF inhibitors or IL-17 inhibitors.
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Long-Term Benefit of Rituximab in Systemic Sclerosis
A small cohort trial of rituximab (RTX) in 29 systemic sclerosis patients showed significantly improved skin sclerosis and lung function after a follow-up of 96 weeks.
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NSAIDs in Pregnancy (3.3.2023)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the lastest journal articles, news, and FDA announcements from the past week on RheumNow. This week, the importance of IFNa, Subclinical PsA and NSAID safety during Pregnancy.
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VEGA - The Efficacy of Combination Biologics in Ulcerative Colitis
A novel trial has shown that combination biologic therapy (guselkumab plus golimumab) to be more effective in ulcerative colitis than either biologic alone.
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Sarilumab is FDA Approved for PMR
Yesterday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved sarilumab (Kevzara) for the treatment of adults with active, refractory polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), stipulating it is indicated in those patients who have had an inadequate response to corticosteroids or who cannot tolerate corticosteroid taper.
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Treat-to-Target Guidelines for GCA and PMR
The Annals of Rheumatic Disease has published updated multinational, treat-to-target (T2T) recommendations for the treatment of giant cell arteritis (GCA) and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR).
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Phase 3 Trials of Baricitinib Disappoint in SLE
Despite the encouraging phase II trial results of baricitinib in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, two parallel phase III trials have failed to redemonstrate the efficacy of baricitinib in active SLE, thereby halting development of baricitinib in SLE.
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New Drug Formulations – For Patients or Profits?
Wang et al., in a JAMA Network Research Letter, recently reviewed Medicaid expenditures on adalimumab (ADA), sold under the brand name HUMIRA®. They noted that the introduction of the citrate-free formulation cost an extra $4.4B to Medicaid between 2014 and 2021.
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Drug Safety Differences with New Novel Therapies in RA
Safety outcomes for targeted synthetic or biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/ts DMARDs) used to treat RA were studied using data from the Anti-Rheumatic Therapies in Sweden (ARTIS) registry, showing that these newer agents are largely similar, but still have particular differences for specific infection or other adverse event risks.
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Older Lupus Patients Need Follow-Up After Hospital Discharge
Medicare beneficiaries 65 and older with lupus faced dramatically higher mortality when they received no follow-up care during the month after a hospital stay, researchers found.
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Does Methotrexate Increase Skin Cancer Risk?
There are several reports suggesting a link between methotrexate (MTX) use and certain skin cancers, yet these are confounded by a higher risk of skin cancers with inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis of which MTX is the most common treatment.
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Deucravacitinib - Effective in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
A Phase II, multicenter study has demonstrated the efficacy and safety of deucravacitinib, an oral, selective, allosteric inhibitor of TYK2, in adults with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
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