Remdesivir FDA Approved for Hospitalized COVID-19
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.
News
Clinical Trial Boom or Bust in Severe COVID-19
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
Biologic Use for Arthritis Linked With Depression and Anxiety
In a recent study of patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases, the initiation of a biologic treatment or switching to another biologic was associated with an increased likelihood of the use of antidepressants and anxiolytics, reported Petros P. Sfikakis, MD, of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and colleagues in RMD Open: Rheumatic & Musculoskeletal Diseases.
Outpatient Visits Return to Pre-COVID Rates
The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically impacted outpatient care - numbers, scope, quality, etc, but a recent study suggests that while COVID has changed the scope of care, the numbers of outpatient visits have risen to near pre-pandemic numbers.
TNF Inhibitors or non-TNF Biologics - First Best Choice?
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
FDA Warning on NSAIDs in Pregnancy
FDA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today in a Drug Safety Communication that it is requiring labeling changes for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
RheumNow Podcast – Good Time Charlie…. (10.16.20)
Dr. Jack Cush sings the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com.
Abatacept vs. Upadacitinib in Biologic Refractory Rheumatoid Arthritis
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
MedPage Today
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
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
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
