Clinical Trial Boom or Bust in Severe COVID-19

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A number of recently published clinical trials are further defining the efficacy and outcomes of tocilizumab or remdesivir in treating SARs-CoV-2 infection.

Remdesivir

TNF Inhibitors or non-TNF Biologics - First Best Choice?

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Prospective observational findings from the CORRONA registry of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients compared clinical outcomes between initial aggressive therapy using either a tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) or a non-TNFi (biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) and tar

RheumNow Podcast – Good Time Charlie…. (10.16.20)

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

Abatacept vs. Upadacitinib in Biologic Refractory Rheumatoid Arthritis

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NEJM reports the results of the SELECT-Choice trial, a head to head study of upadacitinib (UPA) and abatacept (ABA) in biologic refractory rheumatoid arthritis (RA); 12 weeks results showed UPA was significantly more clinically effective than ABA using a DAS28-CRP remission, but ABA had fewer safety signals and serious adverse events.

ICI Arthritis Tied to Cancer Progression

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Cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) who develop severe arthritis may be at risk for progression of the malignancy, a single-center study suggested.

Tofacitinib and Thromboembolic Risk

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Mease and colleagues have reviewed the tofacitinib drug development and clinical trial data, finding the risk of venous (VTE) and arterial thromboembolism (ATE) to be low and augmented in patients with baseline cardiovascular abd VTE risk factors and those taking higher doses of tofacitinib (10 m

RheumNow Podcast – Bad Disease & Bad Outcomes (10.9.20)

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Dr. Jack Cush Reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.

Biologics Beneficial in Eosinophilic Vasculitis

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Two biologic therapies showed promise in the treatment of refractory or relapsing eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) in a retrospective European study.

Sustained Remission Off Therapy Unlikely in GPA

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A French Vasculitis Study Group analysis of their granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) reveals that after 10 years, only 7% of GPA patients achieved sustained remission off therapy (SROT) and have never relapsed.

IL-1 Inhibition Alters Arthroplasty Rates

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A subanalysis of the CANTOS trial suggests that inhibition of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) can reduce rates of incident hip or knee replacement (THR/TKR) surgeries.

Defining Difficult Rheumatoid Arthritis

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‘Difficult-to-treat RA’ is an oft-used term that carries various clinical qualities and therapeutic disappointments. A EULAR Task Force was established to develop recommendations for the management of difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis and as a first step, have put forth their definition of this rheumatoid arthritis (RA) subset.

Low Risk of Latent TB with Secukinumab

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TB reactivation and latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) are warned against with biologic agents, especially TNF inhibitors; yet clinical trial data now shows that the risk of LTBI with IL-17 inhibition via secukinumab is uncommon.

Slow Lung Decline Typical in Systemic Sclerosis

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The interstitial lung disease that develops in a subset of patients with systemic sclerosis tends to be heterogeneous, with the majority of patients experiencing a slow pattern of decline in lung function, analysis of outcomes in the European Scleroderma Trials and Research (EUSTAR) database foun