The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the IL-23 inhibitor, Tremfya (guselkumab), for patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.
Dr. Jack Cush reviews highlights from the past week on RheumNow.com:
Systemic inflammation (from underling inflammatory polyarthritis) clearly accelerates atherosclerosis with a resultant increase risk of cardiovascular disease.
A recent analysis of 3 groups of treatment-naïve, early rheumatoid arthritis (ERA) patients looked at the factors that influenced the choice of therapy.
The 12 month POET study analyzed 817 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who achieved remission or low disease activity (LDAS) for ≥6 months and then randomized 2:1 to stopping or continuing their TNF inhibitor. They found that stopping TNFi had significantly negative consequences in the negative short-term, with fewer long-term negative consequences to drug cessation.
Acute diffuse lung infiltration in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) requires prompt evaluation for diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) when patients have low levels of hemoglobin and complement compound C4 and symptoms of hypoxia. The development of DAH was significantly associated with the presence of these features, South Korean researchers have found.
Among older patients using medium to high doses of the anti-inflammatory steroid prednisolone, treatment with the osteoporosis drug alendronate was associated with a significantly lower risk of hip fracture, according to a study published by JAMA.
Rituximab, a chimeric anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, has been effectively used in the treatment of multiple autoimmune disorders for over two decades. But the response to rituximab has been shown to not be as effective in SLE as it is in RA.
Data made public by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shows that drug and device makers made nearly $8.2 billion in payments to U.S. physicians and teaching hospitals in the last year. Since 2013, CMS has been tracking physician payments as part of the Affordable Care Act.
Dr. Ted Pincus - FAST3 A Novel Screening Tool for Fibromyalgia
Dr. Ted Pincus attends EULAR 2017 in Madrid.
The FDA has approved both IV and SC ORENCIA (abatacept) for the treatment of adults with active Psoriatic Arthritis.
It is well-known that patients with systemic autoimmune diseases are at risk for Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) and although infrequent, it carries a high mortality. A new study shows lymphopenia and steroid use increases the risk of PJP.
Dr. Jack Cush reviews highlights from the past week on RheumNow.com:
