Science Translational Medicine has published results of a Canadian study of low back pain (LBP) suggests that pain control by anti-inflammatory treatments might have negative effects on pain duration and may be counterproductive for long-term pain outcomes.

UCB announced they have received a Complete Response Letter (CRL) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the Biologics License Application (BLA) for bimekizumab for the treatment of adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis (PSO).

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com. Bad news for digitial ulcers in Systemic sclerosis, Readmissions in Lupus and Thrombocytopenia in APL patients.

A crowd sourced, WikiGuidelines approach to clinical treatment guideline development for pyogenic osteomyelitis yielded 7 important clinical questions, 2 clear treatment recommendations and 5 topic reviews to inform future treatment or investigations.

A 2-year safety study of bimekizumab, the dual IL-17A/F inhibitor, plaque psoriasis patients showed bimekizumab (BMK), to be effective, well tolerated, with no new safety concerns other than a modest risk of oral candidiasis.

Tuesday Nite Rheumatology on 10 May 2022 featured session highlights from RheumNow Live 2022.

This webinar presented exerpts from these lectures along with audience Q & A

The ASCORE (Abatacept SubCutaneOus in Routine clinical practicE) study evaluated efficacy, safety, and drug retention (durability) of abatacept (ABA) moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and found consistently better ABA durability in those who were seropositive. 

You’ve scheduled an appointment with your medical provider - how do you make the most of it? We've gathered these tips and suggestions to share with patients.

Previously quoted average  delay in diagnosing axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) may be improving as a recent UK study shows the mean average time to diagnosis in two different NHS trusts was between five and six years. 

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal reports, FDA actions, new side effects and changing prevalence of Gout.

A new review article from CreakyJoints finds that there has been limited progress in understanding the potential of cannabis based therapies for the treatment of pain associated with rheumatic conditions in the past five years because of a lack of standardization of clinical research and barriers to conducting research due to existing federal and state regulations.

JAK inhibitors have become enormously popular and while their side effect profile has been delineated and reviewed, little mention is made of acne – an adverse event that may affect up to one-quarter of patients taking JAK inhibitors (JAKi).

The British Society of Rheumatology (BSR) has published evidence-based guidelines for idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) affecting juvenile and adult-onset disease. This rare condition has an estimated prevalence of 5-15 per 100,000 persons.

Analysis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) data from the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register shows that, even after failing three or more biologic or targeted synthetic DMARDs (b/tsDMARDs), patients may continue to benefit from repeated trials of unused b/tsDMARDs. 

Disability claims in the U.S. related to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were just as common in 2015 as in 1999, a government researcher found, against expectations that the advent of biologic therapy would have led to a steady decrease.

Abbvie has announced the US Food and Drug Administration has approved upadacitinib (Rinvoq or UPA) for use in adults with active ankylosing spondylitis, who have not responded or been intolerant of one or more TNF blockers. The recommended dose is 15 mg per day.

While tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) have been shown to alter/retard X-ray outcomes in peripheral inflammatory arthritis, the inhibitor effects of TNFi on axial skeletal progression in spondylitis has been difficult to prove, owing to difficulties in study design, identifying best cohorts and a presumed slower rate of change in the spine. 

Playback now available! Watch our Tuesday Nite Rheumatology, held April 26th, 2022, which featured a Journal Club panel discussion  about two important studies.

A single dose of the monoclonal-antibody AZD7442 (combination of tixagevimab and cilgavimab) has been shown to be safe and effective as prophylaxis against COVID-19 infection in high risk individuals who tested positive for COVID-19. 

Held on April 19, 2022, Tuesday Night Rheumatology: Controversies in PsA, featured a lively and informative panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Jack Cush.

The PsA Expert panelists included: