COVAX Registry: Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines in Rheum Patients

Save

The EULAR Coronavirus Vaccine (COVAX) physician-reported registry has shown that the use of COVID-19 vaccines in people with inflammatory/autoimmune rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease (I-RMD) is effective, safe, and well tolerated.

2021 Rheumatology Year in Review

Save

Our top 10 list of advances, game-changers, worries and those better medical practices that evolved during 2021.

Best of 2021: FDA Puts Boxed Warnings on JAK Inhibitors

Save

Based on the safety review of tofacitinib in Pfizer's Oral Surveillance (1133) study, the FDA has added serious boxed warnings to all three marketed JAK inhibitors (for inflammatory diseases) and formalized the recommendation that patients should be started on a TNF inhibitor (TNFi) before trying a JAK inhibitor. These recommendations apply to tofacitinib, baricitinib and upadacitinib.

Best of 2021: Tofacitinib Safety Concerns

Save

Dr. Jack Cush reviews and discusses the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com.

Best of 2021: Israel provides COVID vaccine answers for rheumatic disease patients

Save

The question as to how autoimmune rheumatic disease patients fare with the COVID vaccine is one being asked in rheumatologists’ offices everywhere this year, and at the EULAR 2021 Virtual Congress, data presented from Israel, one of the first countries to vaccinate on a br

Indications Awaiting (12.17.21)

Save

There's good news and bad news in rheumatology fellowship matching for 2022.  There's also new FDA approvals and indications, but a new serious safety warning has arisen from the CDC about the J&J COVID-19 vaccine. 

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the latest news, journal reports, regulatory approvals, plus 3 new cases from rheumatologists.

Certain Cancers Increased with Autoimmune Diseases

Save

Rheumatologists are well aware that inflammation and immune dysregulation are prime contributors to cancer risk, but do oncologists carry the same impressions? A large study from JAMA Oncology shows that patients with immune-mediated diseases (IMD) have an overall increased risk of cancer, especially in organ-specific immune-mediated diseases. 

Tofacitinib 1st JAK Inhibitor Approved for Ankylosing Spondylitis

Save

The FDA approved tofacitinib (Xeljanz, Xeljanz XR) for treating active ankylosing spondylitis in adults, Pfizer announced on Tuesday.

T2T Debate - A Prologue with Dr. Marty Bergman

Save

Drs. Jack Cush and Martin Bergman review the topic of treat-to-target (T2T) management in rheumatology.

Both will debate the pro's and con's of the T2T strategy at the upcoming RWCS meeting on Feb. 17, 2022.

Monitoring Infliximab Drug Levels Improves Efficacy

Save

Should we start considering therapeutic drug monitoring when prescribing TNFi for treatment of our rheumatologic conditions?

FDA Puts Boxed Warnings on JAK Inhibitors

Save

Based on the safety review of tofacitinib in Pfizer's Oral Surveillance (1133) study, the FDA has added serious boxed warnings to all three marketed JAK inhibitors (for inflammatory diseases) and formalized the recommendation that patients should be started on a TNF inhibitor (TNFi) before trying a JAK inhibitor. These recommendations apply to tofacitinib, baricitinib and upadacitinib.