Rheumatology Leaders Join a Coalition of National Medical Specialties in Urging Congress to Protect Patients from Prior Authorization Requirements in Medicare Advantage Plans
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles of note from this past week on RheumNow.com.
Reuters has reported that Mallinckrodt Plc has tentatively agreed to pay $15.4 million to resolve a US Justice Department investigation into company promotional practices for Acthar gel.
Analysis of Rheumatoid Arthritis patients enrolled and treated as part of the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Registry shows that sustained remission or low disease activity state (LDA) on TNF inhibitor treatment is uncommon and that combing methotrexate with an anti-TNF increases the odds of sustained remission/LDA.
The US Food and Drug Administration convened a public hearing and specialty panel on May 31st to review the potential use, safety and effectiveness of cannabidiol (CBD) products that do not contain THC.In his opening remarks, the FDA acting Commissioner Dr. Ned Sharpless said, "critical questions remain about the safety" of CBD products, especially since the growth of the CBD market has exploded in the past year.
Despite the lack of good evidence, there has been great speculation about the role of diet in causing or alleviating inflammation. Now there's new research suggesting that proinflammatory diets can increase serum C-reactive protein levels and also the risk of rheumatoid arthritis onset.
Interleukin 17 (IL-17) inhibitors are highly effective and FDA approved for use in psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. However, many of the initial trials were done in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) where it was projected to be effective, but was not. A recent metanalysis examines how effective IL-17 inhibition was in two RA populations: biologic-naïve or tumor necrosis factor inhibitor inadequate responders (TNF-IR).
A systematic review of the medical literature shows anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), meniscus or combined ACL and meniscus injury significantly increases the risk of future knee osteoarthritis (OA).
The metanalysis comprised 53 studies and nearly 1 million participants, including 185,219 with ACL injury (mean age 28 years), 83,267 with meniscal injury (mean 38 years) and 725,362 with combined injury (mean 31 years).
Australian researchers have assessed the problem of exercise in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). After posing 10 questions to 11 experts they have provided evidence and consensus-based ecommendations on exercise in AS.
A population-based survey from South Australia shows that gout flares are common in the community and have a significant effect on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), yet there is significant undertreatment of gout, even in those on current allopurinol.
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Steven C. Echard, IOM, CAE is the new Executive Vice President (EVP) of the American College of Rheumatology. Echard was offered the position in March of this year after a comprehensive, nationwide search that was conducted prior to announcing the departure of long-time EVP Mark Andrejeski.
Dr. Jack Cush presents the news and best of rheumatology and medicine from the past week on RheumNow.com
Rituximab (Rituxan) may be an option for maintenance therapy in patients with difficult-to-treat systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), European researchers reported.
An article in the Annals of Internal Medicine has analyzed the cost-consequences of physician burnout, including costs related to physician turnover and reduced clinical hours.
A EULAR task force has reviewed the medical literature and developed evidence-based recommendations for the management of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) in adults. They note that a high-risk antiphospholipid antibody (aPL) profile is associated with greater risk for thrombotic and obstetric APS.
