Ustekinumab Efficacy in Psoriatic Arthritis: 2 Year SUMMIT Trial Results

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615 adults with active PsA were randomized to ustekinumab (45mg group or 90mg group) or placebo with crossover at 24 weeks.

Utility of Drug Levels and Anti-Drug Antibodies When Starting TNF inhibitors

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A prospective cohort of 331 patients tested for anti-adalimumab (n=160) and anti-etanercept (n-171) antibodies after initiation of their TNF inhibitor therapy.

Adherence to ETN/MTX is Greater Than Triple DMARD Therapy

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Rheumatoid management hinges on choosing your best therapies first.

Australia Allows Pharmacy Substitution with Biosimilars Without Notice

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Biosimilars are copies of the biologic medicines used to treat inflammatory and immunologic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and cancer- potentially at lower costs.

NICE Judges Apremilast Less Cost Effective than TNF Inhibitors

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The National Institute for Heath and Care Excellence has turned down Otezla for coverage under the U.K. healthcare system for psoriatic arthritis.

Frequency of Infliximab Infusion Reactions

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A Canadian registry shows that in community-based infusion clinics, infusion reactions to IFX are uncommon and mild to moderate in nature.

DSB: EULAR 2015 Safety Reports

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Biologic Use Curtails Sepsis Events. An analysis of the German biologics register, RABBIT, examined the effect of current biologic therapy on future risk of sepsis (#OP0161).

The Risk of Uveitis in AS Treated with TNF Blockers

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Claims data analysis of 2115 ankylosing spondylitis patients without uveitis who started TNF inhibitor therapy revealed that the median time to the onset of uveitis was longest for those taking adalimumab (243 days), followed by etanercept (182 days) and infliximab (144 days).&nbsp

Expanding Global Biosimilar Market

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Between 2010 and 2013, $95 billion in branded pharmaceutical patents will have expired, leading to significantly higher sales opportunities for those manufacturing generics and biosimilars.

The EULAR 2015 Report- Friday

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These abstracts and presentations were presented 12 June at the EULAR 2015 annual meeting.

The EULAR 2015 Report - Wednesday

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EULAR 2015 started the afternoon of Wednesday June 10th.

Nonadherence to Self-Injected Biologics is High

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Researchers from the University of Manchester investigated self-reported adherence to biologic treatment in RA and found that 41% of patients were non-adherent to adalimumab therapy at least once, and 23% were nonadherent overall. http://bit.ly/1KA2

Amgen & Abbvie Increase the Price of TNF Inhibitors

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The manufacturers of the 2 best selling TNF inhibitors, Enbrel and Humira, have announced a 9.9% price increase of May 1st. The current average price of Enbrel is $42,000 per annum.

A Microneedle Pill as an Alternative to Injectable Drug

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Carl Schoellhammerhas just won the Lemelson-MIT National Collegiate Student Prize for his invention - the microneedle pill.

Adalimumab Gets FDA Orphan Drug Status for Use in Hidradenitis Suppurativa

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The FDA has granted adalimumab (Humira) orphan drug designation for the investigational treatment of moderate-to-severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) (Hurley Stage II and Hurley Stage III disease).

Economic Impact of Biosimilars

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According to the Federal Trade Commission biosimilars have the potential to save the U.S. healthcare system $250 billion through 2022.

Hepatotoxicity and TNF Inhibitors

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Hepatic enzyme elevations with TNF inhibitor use is not uncommon.

Lancet: Increase Serious Infection Risk with Biologics

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RA Compliance Undermines Treatment Success

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Researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston prospectively studied 107 RA patients with regard to oral medication (DMARDs, steroids) adherence. They report that adherence was low, ranging from 58-71% overall.

Zoster Risk is Similar Among Different MOA Biologics

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The risk of new H zoster infection was studied among nearly 30,000 new biologic starts and compared rates seen with abatacept, adalimumab, rituximab, infliximab, etanercept, tocilizumab, certolizumab or golimumab initiation.