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Major Challenges for Lupus in 2019
Despite striking improvements in survival among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in recent decades -- from 1-year survival of less than 50% before the introduction of prednisone to 90% today in most specialized treatment centers -- many challenges remain in this perplexing, multis
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2019: the Year of Price Hikes
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.
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Smoking Doesn't Influence Rituximab Responses in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Alcohol, smoking and obesity have all been shown to influence the risk and activity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and may also influence response to therapy. This study assesssed whether smoking would influence response to rituximab (RTX) in RA.
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RheumNow Podcast – FDA Panels Meet on Gout & OP (1.18.19)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, articles and FDA Panel discussions from the past week.
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Does Methotrexate Work in Giant Cell Arteritis?
There seems to be both hope and uncertainty regarding the use of weekly methotrexate (MTX) in giant cell arteritis (GCA) patients whom need to limit their glucocorticoid use.
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Febuxostat Gets Reprieve from FDA Advisory Panel
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
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IL-6 Blocker Succeeds in Real-World Vasculitis
Tocilizumab (Actemra) was effective for refractory giant cell arteritis (GCA) in real-world practice, although serious infections occurred relatively frequently, Spanish investigators reported.
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Only One-Third of Gout Patients Receive Urate-Lowering Drugs
The most recent analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey [NHANES] 2007-2016) data shows the prevalence of gout to be 9.3 million in the USA.
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RheumNow Podcast – Gout Spot Light (1.11.19)
Dr. Jack Cush discusses the highlights from the past week on RheumNow.com:
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Price of Drug Promotion Skyrockets
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.
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Combo RA Treatment May Boost Risk for Serious Adverse Events
A current meta-analysis of safety and efficacy of combination bDMARD treatment in RA patients shows that combination treatments increase serious advese event (SAE) risks, and the risk for serious infections in particular.
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Opioids Double Rates of Suicides and Overdoses
An article in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that the rates of suicide and drug overdoses has doubled in the last 17 years, and that opioids are largely to blame.
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BMS Buyout of Celgene for $74 Billion
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.
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2018 Rheumatology Year In Review
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
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Uncertain Long Term Efficacy in Trials of Knee Osteoarthritis
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.
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Severe Cutaneous Sarcoid Treated with Tofacitinib
Researchers from Yale have taken a novel approach and shown benefits when using tofacitinib in severe cutaneous sarcoidosis.
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Best of 2018: The Safety of Paternal Exposure to DMARDs and Biologics
Pregnancy and drug safety is a complex issue, often with limited information about maternal drug exposure on the offspring. Greater uncertainty exists when considering whether paternal exposure may also influence fetal outcomes.
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Best of 2018: Advance Practice Clinicians Proliferating in Specialty Practices
An analysis of SK&A outpatient provider files, covering 90% of physician practices in the United States, shows that between 2008 to 2016, there was a 22% increase in the employment of advanced practice clinicians (APCs) by specialty practices. By 2016, 28% of all specialty practices employed APCs.
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Best of 2018: Hydroxychloroquine Being Over-Dosed with New Guidelines?
Hydroxychloroquine retinopathy prevention guidelines have revised from ideal body weight-based dosing to actual body weight-based dosing; the question remains whether these have been adopted in clinical practice.
A database of nearly 21,000 new HCQ users from a UK general population database studied HCQ dosing and use between 2007 and 2016. Specifically they examined whether users were subjected to excess HCQ dosing per ophthalmology guidelines (defined by exceeding 6.5 mg/kg of IBW and 5.0 mg/kg of ABW).
Best of 2018: U.S. News 2018-19 Rheumatology Rankings
The Annual U.S. News and World Report Rankings of Hospitals has listed the top contenders in the field of rheumatology. The U.S. News Review rates hospitals nationwide in 16 specialties – including rheumatology. Of the 4,500 hospitals covered by U.S.
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