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Actemra FDA Approved for Systemic Sclerosis Interstitial Lung Disease
Genentech announced yesterday that the US Food and Drug Administration approved tocilizumab (Actemra) for the treatment of Systemic Sclerosis-associated Interstitial Lung Disease (SSc-ILD), specifically indicated for the slowing the rate of decline in pulmonary function in adults SSc-ILD.
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RheumNow Podcast – Pounds of Prevention (3.5.2021)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews and discusses nearly a dozen news reports and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.
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Baricitinib Therapy in Covid-19 Pneumonia
The NEJM has published the results of the ACCT-2 Study, a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial evaluating baricitinib, an inhibitor of Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) and JAK2, plus remdesivir in hospitalized adults with Covid-19. The primary outcome was the time to recovery.
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Paucity of Effectiveness Research on Telemedicine in RA
A systematic review of telehealth in delivering equivalent care in RA patients demonstrates there is limited evidence that virtual RA care is equivalent to conventional face-to-face care. Despite current widespread use, there is a great need for credible well-designed research that will address comparable patient outcomes, implementation strategies and long‐term health system consequences.
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Combo Therapy Boosts Response in Uncontrolled Gout
The addition of an immunomodulating agent to pegloticase (Krystexxa) among patients with uncontrolled gout significantly improved response rates, a systematic literature review found.
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NEJM: Interleukin-6 Inhibition in Critically-Ill COVID-19
The pendulum and jury are wavering with regard to the benefits of interleukin-6 receptor antagonists in COVID-19; the current NEJM reports the results of a study favoring such biologic therapy in in critically ill COVID-19 patients.
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MAXIMISE Trial - Secukinumab Efficacy in Psoriatic Spondylitis Patients
The results of the novel MAXIMISE trial have been published, demonstrating that secukinumab significantly improved axial signs and symptoms in psoriatic arthritis patients with axial manifestations with inadequate NSAID response.
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RheumNow Podcast – Sweet Lies or Hard Truths? (2.26.2021)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews and discusses the news and Journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com.
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Measureable Benefits to Treat-to-Target Management in RA
Desai and colleagues have published that when a learning collaborative group focused on a treat‐to‐target approach was compared to usual care, a modest but significant impact on implementation, treatment changes and patient outcomes in RA patients managed with a treat‐to‐target approach was seen.
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Higher Lupus Mortality Among Minority Populations
The February 19th MMWR reports that higher mortality rates in certain patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); data based on recent San Francisco County statistics showing a four fold higher mortality among Asian and Hispanic/Latina females with SLE.
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ANAGO Study - Anakinra for Gout Flare
The interleukin (IL)-1 receptor antagonist anakinra (Kineret) was not superior to triamcinolone for relieving gout flares, but had similar effects for pain reduction as the glucocorticoid, a randomized phase II study found.
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Diagnosis & Treatment of Osteoarthritis Reviewed
Katz, Arant and Loeser have published a comprehensive open-read overview of osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip and knee in JAMA; underscoring the impact, advances, disappointments and guidelines put forth.
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Lung Preservation with Tocilizumab in Early Systemic Sclerosis
Arthritis & Rheumatology has published the results of a subanalysis from tocilizumab (TCZ) clinical trials showing that Il-6 inhibition was associated with preservation of lung function patients with early systemic sclerosis (SSc).
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RheumNow Podcast – Systemic Sclerosis Pearls (2.19.2021)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews nearly a dozen news and journal reports from the past 2 weeks on RheumNow.com, including the ACR's new COVID-19 vaccine guidance for patients with rheumatic disease.
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High Risk Cancer Profiling with Inflammatory Myositis
A recent metanalysis of studies suggest you may be able to use certain clinical factors to stratify cancer risk in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs).
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Avacopan - Is it Really a Win for ANCA-Associated Vasculitis?
The NEJM has reported the results of a study showing that avacopan, a C5a receptor inhibitor, is as effective as steroids at treating patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)–associated vasculitis (AAV).
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Alveolar Hemorrhage and Mortality in Lupus
Metanalysis of patients with diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH), show this to be a rare and life-threatening complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), that is more apt to affect older, severe lupus patients with active infection.
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