Rituximab Superior to Cyclosporine for Membranous Nephropathy

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The NEJM has reported that rituximab (RTX) and cyclosporine (CYA) was noninferior to cyclosporine in inducing complete or partial remission of proteinuria at 12 months and was superior in maintaining proteinuria remission up to 24 months. 

RheumNow Podcast – Boiling Hot MAS (7.12.19)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews this week's news and journal reports featured on RheumNow.com. PsA v. non-PsA pregnancies, Still's disease, lupus, nutritional supplements and dietary interventions, use of cannabis, tanezumab in OA, CBD oils and more.

NIH Conference Review of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

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The current issue of JAMA reviews recent advances on chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis/(ME/CFS), based on a 2-day conference held at the NIH in an April 2019. The NIH 2-day conference reviewed recent progress and new research in several areas described below.

CRP Utility in COPD Exacerbations

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NEJM reports on the utility of C-reactive protein (CRP) testing in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, showing that CRP guided prescribing of antibiotics for exacerbations of COPD in primary care clinics resulted in a lower percentage of patients who reported antibiotic use.

EHR-Related Adverse Events Usually Involve Medications

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Concerns about the unintended risks inherent in electronic health records (EHR) by analysis of EHR–related harms identified from large database of malpractice suits and claims; they found that EHR related adverse events exist, and may be associated with an severe harms and uncommonly, death.

Safety Concerns Offset the Modest Improvements of Tanezumab in Osteoarthritis

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JAMA reports that although tanezumab is modestly effective in moderate to severe osteoarthritis (knee or hip), with statistically significant improvements in pain and physical function, the tanezumab (TNZ) treated patients had more joint safety events and total joint replacements than pa

Pregnancy Outcomes Improve in Lupus

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Pregnancy for patients with lupus has long been considered high risk and associated with both medical and obstetric complications, but outcomes have improved over the last 2 decades and continue to improve. The large decline in in-hospital maternal mortality was greater for lupus pregnancies than for non-lupus pregnancies. Findings from a retrospective cohort study are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Opioids Overused in Acute Gout

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Opioids were commonly given to patients as a treatment for acute gout attacks, despite the availability of other effective and appropriate therapies, a retrospective study found.

Benefits vs Harms for Osteoporosis Drug Continuation or Discontinuation

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While it is clear that long-term bisphosphonate therapies reduce fracture risk in women with osteoporosis, it is unclear how to counter-balance these benefits against rare serious harms and how to optimize therapeutic benefits with appropriate drug holidays. A systematic analysis of 48 studies compared long-term osteoporosis drug treatment (ODT) (>3 years) versus control versus ODT continuation versus durg discontinuation, to examine incident fractures or harms.

Be ‘on point’: Guidelines for rheumatic complications of immunotherapy

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Editor's note: July 1 - 5, RheumNow is running the best of the EULAR 2019 meeting. At EULAR 2019, Madrid, several recommendations including RA, SLE, and Sjogren’s syndrome have been developed. Agreement for principles with respect to the treatment of immune mediated adverse events from cancer immunotherapy are lacking.

RheumNow Podcast – EULAR 2019 Streamin' - (6.14.19)

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Editor's note: July 1 - 5, RheumNow is running the best of the EULAR 2019 meeting. Dr. Jack Cush reports from Madrid on several novel presentations from EULAR 2019, including low-dose steroids in hand OA, ABA vs. ADA in double positive RA patients, psoriasis predictors of PsA, tildrakizumab and more.

Allopurinol Fails to Curtail Hypertension

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Editor's note: July 1 - 5, RheumNow is running the best of the EULAR 2019 meeting. A novel trial presented at EULAR 2019 last week assessed whether the use of urate-lowering therapy (ULT) would control hypertension in those at risk; however, results of this trial were largely negative.

EULAR 2019 – Day 3 Report

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Editor's note: July 1 - 5, RheumNow is running the best of the EULAR 2019 meeting. The third day of EULAR 2019 started with novel biologics, the efficacy of secukinumab in axial psoriatic arthritis, neurologic events with TNF inhibitors from the DANBIO database (OP0261), and neuropathy in SLE (OP0252), but above all this was a big poster day. Here are selected highlights from day 3 EULAR in Madrid.

Ultrasound Reveals Which Anti-CCP Positive Patients Progress to Arthritis 

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Editor's note: July 1 - 5, RheumNow is running the best of the EULAR 2019 meeting. Power Doppler signal on baseline ultrasound exam may well help stratify anti-CCP positive patients with musculoskeletal symptoms but no clinical synovitis, according to data from the Leeds Institute of Rhe

EULAR 2019 Report – Day 2

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Editor's note: July 1 - 5, RheumNow is running the best of the EULAR 2019 meeting. It was a full and lively second day in Madrid with sessions dedicated to Lupus, RA, Sjogren’s, imaging, rare diseases, psoriatic arthritis and spondyloarthritis. Here are a few of the highlights from day two at EULAR 2019.