EULAR 2017 – Day 3 Highlights

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Friday was a mega-day in Madrid as this day all the late-breaking abstracts were presented, in addition to the bulk of high-impact podium presentations in several areas.

Here are the major presentations from several clinical areas.

Lancet Launches EULAR 2017 and "A Platinum Age of Rheumatology"

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The current Lancet edition for 10 June 2017 is a rheumatology rich collection.  

Mixed Results with Combination Therapy in Gout

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Lesinurad, a selective URAT-1 inhibitor has been approved for coadministration with a urate-lowering therapy (ULT) in patients with gout for nearly a year. The CRYSTAL study was one of the studies that lead to FDA approval.

Supreme Court Decision Favors Earlier Biosimilar Adoption

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On Monday June 11th, the US Supreme Court unanimously ruled that biosimilar manufacturers can bring their drugs to market faster by eliminating the provision that the biosimar manufacturer had to give the innovator company 180 days notice before launching the new biosimilar.

FDA Requests Removal of OPANA-ER from the Market

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked Endo International to withdraw Opana ER from the market, stating that benefits no longer outweigh its risks of this long-acting opioid.

2017 ACR Guideline on Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteoporosis

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The American College of Rheumatology has updated its 2010 guideline for the prevention and treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. The guideline provides recommendations on assessing fracture risk and treatment for adults and special patient populations, including women of childbearing potential, adults treated with very high-dose glucocorticoids, adults with organ transplants, and children ages 4-17.

Upadacitinib Effective in Rheumatoid Arthritis

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AbbVie released the preliminary results of a rheumatoid arthritis trial wherein its Jak inhibitor, upadacitinib, was tested against placebo, and shown to be superior in established RA patients who have failed prior DMARD therapy.

Biosimilar Reports – May 2017

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Biosimilars continue to command a great deal of research, development and attention given the promise of significant cost savings and potentially wider use for those in need. Biosimilar Reports is an ongoing series dedicated to advances, discussions and developments in biosimilar agents intended for use by rheumatologists. 

20% Price Hike Among Pfizer Drugs

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The increasing cost of drug has been the subject of concern and review - by legislators, reporters and patients.

The Financial Times has reviewed the annual price increases for the 91 drugs in Pfizers portfolio, showing an average price increase by 20 percent in the past year.

Chondroitin Effective in Knee OA. Or is it?

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Reginster and colleagues have reported on the results of the CONCEPT trial showing that osteoarthritis (OA) patients treated 800 mg/day of  pharmaceutical-grade chondroitin sulfate (CS) have less VAS pain scores and improved function over 6 months therapy. These results were superior to placebo and equivalent to celecoxib in reducing in symptomatic OA knee pain.

Ohio Sues Five Pharma Companies Over Opioid Epidemic

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Ohio is suing five major drug manufacturers, accusing them of misrepresenting the risks of prescription opioid painkillers that has resulted in the current opioid epidemic.

New BSR 2017 Gout Guidelines

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The British Society for Rheumatology/British Health Professionals in Rheumatology first published a guideline for the management of gout in 2007. They have just updated and published their new guideline, largely because of new therapies, an increasing incidence of gout, low penetrance of urate lowering therapies, and the inability to achieve a target serum uric acid level.

Golimumab Fails in Polyarticular Juvenile Arthritis

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Treatment options for children with active polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (polyJIA) have lagged behind that seen with adult rheumatoid arthritis.

Biologics Before Triple DMARD is Not Cost Effective in Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Stepping up to biologic therapy when methotrexate (MTX) monotherapy fails was not shown to be cost effective, compared to first trying triple therapy, in a rheumatoid arthritis (RA) study published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Ixekizumab Effective in TNF Failure Psoriatic Arthritis - SPIRIT-P2 Trial

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Ixekizumab (Taltz) is currently approved for use in plaque psoriasis and is being developed for use in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). New results show IXE to be highly effective at skin and joint outcomes in PsA patients who have failed a TNF inhibitor (TNFi).

Anti-IL-5 Success in Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis

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The NEJM reports success when using mepolizumab (anti-IL-5 monoclonal antibody) in a 52 week study of patients with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA).

IL-6 Inhibitor Kevzara Granted FDA Approval for Rheumatoid Arthritis

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The FDA has approved sarilumab (Kevzara), a new IL-6 inhibitor co-developed by Regeneron and Sanofi's, for use in adults with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Actemra - First FDA Approved Drug for Giant Cell Arteritis

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The FDA has approved subcutaneous tocilizumab for use in Giant Cell Arteritis based on the phase III GiACTA study that demonstrated that TCZ with steroids was superior to steroid therapy alone.

Inflammatory Arthritis Stable after Switch to Biosimilar Infliximab

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The DANBIO registrys has demonstrated that switching from infliximab (Remicade) to biosimilar CT-P13 (Inflectra in the U.S., Remsima in Europe) does not appear to have any negative effect on inflammatory arthritis disease activity, Danish researchers reported.

The RheumNow Week in Review – 12 May 2017

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Dr. Jack Cush highlights the big stories, news and articles from this week at RheumNow.com.