Blogs
ACR20 Pearls Part 3: Pragmatic Applications for Managing Vasculitis
While the ACR prepares to publish its new guidelines for the diagnosis and management of vasculitis in the Spring of 2020, Dr. John Stone presented his own perspectives on the practical management of vasculitis during the 2019 ACR meeting in Atlanta. He acknowledged that what may be pearls one day, may be disproven with data in the future.
Remembering the Names of Drugs
Knowing the names of the agents in today’s armamentarium should be simple. But, the nomenclature is notoriously confusing. The names of monoclonal antibodies can stretch to five syllables which defy easy pronunciation beyond the “mab” at the end. Who comes up with these names anyway?
Blueprints to the Clinical Research Underworld
“If you don't know what you want, you end up with a lot you don't.” ― Chuck Palahniuk, "Fight Club" 1999
How to Best Use RheumNow
This “How to Use RheumNow” blog is intended to help those of you who would like to get better use and quick hints on consuming RheumNow content. This is also a good opportunity to get some feedback from you on what we could do better or how we could serve your interests and online education. What keeps you up at night? We would really like to know.
Best of 2018: Dealing with Drug Reps - Dead or Alive
Several years ago, long before promotional lectures, I traveled for a series of lectures. I flew north for 4 days and 4 lectures, 2 at major university programs and 2 dinner lectures to local rheumatologists.
The first lecture went well but the weather turned bad, with a snow storm in the overnight forecast. Hence my host, a local drug rep, suggested we drive at night to beat the snow and get to the next city for the 10 am University lecture the following morning.
The one-hour drive felt like a week in Cleveland.
Best of 2018: The Delayed Diagnosis of Spondyloarthritis
You see them from the corner of your eye, standing with a kyphosis in the waiting room. They are filling out their paperwork, standing up because sitting is just not pleasant. You are the rheumatologist with an interest in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and spondyloarthritis, so more likely than not, the patient with the bent spine is going to be your next new patient. In the back of your mind you are hoping that they are not so far along so that the therapy you may prescribe can make a difference in their life.Prescription Drugs and the Effect on Access to Biosimilars in the US
The word “access” is thrown around a lot these days, particularly regarding health care and specifically, prescription medications. Access to medications essentially revolves around two things: availability and affordability. Immediately, pharmaceutical manufacturers come to mind, as they are responsible for production and setting the list price. However, ultimate availability and affordability of medications is shared with another entity. The final arbiter of access is the Pharmacy Benefit Manager. Their power resides in the fact that they control the formulary and determine the “preferred drugs” list. How does this relate to the uptake of biosimilars?
Death of the Dinner Meeting
Many years ago, rheumatologists would assemble with lunar regularity to discuss cases, journal articles or listen to a great visiting speaker or leader in rheumatology. While many of these meetings occurred at a local eatery, they were more about the meeting than the eating.
How to Present an Abstract at EULAR
Good News! Your research submission has been accepted for presentation at a national congress (i.e., ACR or EULAR). This is often a first step in the lifetime of a project – Abstract, Presentation, Full Write-up and Publication. Instead of being enthralled or overwhelmed with the notion of doing your first abstract, review my approach to creating, presenting and reviewing abstracts for a major medical meeting.
The Delayed Diagnosis of Spondyloarthritis
You see them from the corner of your eye, standing with a kyphosis in the waiting room. They are filling out their paperwork, standing up because sitting is just not pleasant. You are the rheumatologist with an interest in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and spondyloarthritis, so more likely than not, the patient with the bent spine is going to be your next new patient. In the back of your mind you are hoping that they are not so far along so that the therapy you may prescribe can make a difference in their life.