Abatacept in Early Systemic Sclerosis (ASSET study)

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An open-label extension of the ASSET trial (abatacept in diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis) showed continued safety with significant improvements in the modified Rodnan Skin Score (mRSS) at 12 months, suggesting abatacept (ABA) may benefit early systemic sclerosis (SSc).

FDA Invites Patient Input on Systemic Sclerosis Drug Development

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While there have been several promising new agents for systemic sclerosis, many have failed - with all noting the difficulties in appropriate outcomes and endpoints for clinical trials. With this in mind, the FDA was interested in hearing patients’ perspectives on systemic sclerosis and new drug development, and held a virtual meeting on 10/13/20.

Guselkumab, an IL-23 Inhibitor, Effective in Psoriatic Arthritis

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The DISCOVER‐2 trial has shown that guselkumab, an interleukin‐23p19 was shown to be safe and effective in biologic‐naïve psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients in a one year study.

Fibromyalgia Therapies Show Limited Evidence of Pain and QOL Reduction

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JAMA Internal Medicine has published a review showing that most currently approved therapies for fibromyalgia (FM) do not have high-quality evidence to support their use; with some reducing pain or improving quality of life (QOL) in the short term, but overall effect size is not impressive.

Vedolizumab Promising in Immune-Related GI Events

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Vedolizumab (Entyvio) was superior to infliximab (Remicade) for treating immune-mediated diarrhea and colitis (IMDC), a researcher reported.

Telemedicine Outcomes in RA Care

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A new short‐term follow‐up study has shown no significant difference in outcomes and quality measures in patients with RA who were managed by telemedicine (compared to usual in-person care).

FDA Hearing on COVID-19 Vaccines

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Yesterday the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) "Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee" conve

RheumNow Podcast – Back Talk: Questions from Listeners (10.23.20)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal reports, survey results and "Back Talk" questions from Rheums.

Remdesivir FDA Approved for Hospitalized COVID-19

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The FDA has approved Gilead Sciences Inc’s antiviral drug remdesivir for treating patients hospitalized with COVID-19, making it the first and only drug approved for the disease in the United States.

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.

COVID Transmission from Young to Old

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The CDC has analyzed temporal trends in percent positivity by age group in COVID-19 hotspot counties before and after their identification as hotspots.

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

Thrombotic Risk in Rheumatoid Arthritis Linked to Disease Activity

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A large RA cohort study from the Swedish Rheumatology Quality Register shows a higher risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA)  and that risk is linked to RA disease activity. 

Hydroxychloroquine Shows No Benefit in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients

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The NEJM reports on a controlled clinical trial showing patients hospitalized with Covid-19 given hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) do not have a lower incidence of death compared to those receiving routine care.

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.