Best of 2019 - Are Non-TNF Biologics Superior to TNF inhibitors?

Save

Current ACR and EULAR guidelines list TNF-inhibitors (TNFi) abatacept, rituximab, and tocilizumab as being equally effective after methotrexate or as second line therapies when treating rheumatoid arthritis.

Best of 2019 - Methotrexate and the Risk of Lung Disease

Save

Rheumatology has a comprehensive overview of methotrexate (MTX) and the risk of lung injury, MTX-related pneumonitis and interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Past reports suggest the frequence of MTX-pneumonitis to be between 0.3 and 11.6%; recent studies suggest it may be much lower.

Best of 2019 - SEAM-PsA Study - Does Monotherapy MTX Win Despite Losing to Etanercept in Psoriatic Arthritis?

Save

The SEAM-PsA study examined the efficacy of methotrexate monotherapy, etanercept monotherapy or the combination of MTX and ETN in psoriatic arthritis patients, and found that ETN monotherapy was equivalent to combination therapy - and that both were superior to MTX alone in clinical (ACR and MDA) and radiographic responses.

Best of 2019 - The Shame Behind Adalimumab Biosimilars

Save

JAMA has an article this week on the shift from biologic drugs to less expensive therapeutic biosimilar agents. The impact of biosimilars can be easily represented by the shift from adalimuamb - a biologic with nearly $19 billion in sales in 2018 - to any one of the four FDA approved biosimilars for adalimumab (see the daily download for slides on new adalimumab and other biosimilars).

Best of 2019 - New EMA Warnings for Tofacitinib in Patients at Risk for Clots

Save

The European Medicines Agency safety committee (PRAC) has concluded that Xeljanz (tofacitinib - TOFA) could increase the risk of blood clots in the lungs and in deep veins in patients who are already at high risk for venous thromboembolic events. The PRAC is recommending that TOFA should be used with caution in patients at high risk of blood clots (VTE), regardless of dose used.

Best of 2019 - ACR/SPARTAN Recommendations for the Treatment of Ankylosing Spondylitis and Nonradiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis

Save

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR), in partnership with the Spondylitis Association of America (SAA) and the Spondyloarthritis Research and Treatment Network (SPARTAN), released the 2019 Update of the Recommendations for the Treatment of Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) and Nonradiographic Axi

Best of 2019 - Upadacitinib (RINVOQ) FDA Approved for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Save

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday, August 16, approved AbbVie JAK1 inhibitor, Rinvoq (upadacitinib) for adults with  rheumatoid arthritis with moderately to severely active disease either not responding to, or intolerant of, methotrexate (MTX). 

Best of 2019 - 2019 EULAR Guidelines on Antiphospholipid Syndrome Management

Save

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.

Best of 2019 - New EULAR/ACR Classification Criteria for SLE

Save

The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) have jointly developed new classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); prompted by the need for criteria that were both highly sensitive and specific. The net result is improved sensitivity and specificity, but the use of positive ANA requirement along with a longer list of weighted criteria ensures its utility in SLE research (including early or latent SLE), but not clinical practice.

Gilead Submits Filgotinib NDA to the FDA

Save

Gilead has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for filgotinib, an investigational, oral, selective JAK1 inhibitor for the treatment of adults who are living with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

RheumNow Podcast – Merry Lupus XMAS (12.20.19)

Save

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news from the past week on RheumNow.com, just in time for Christmas!

Upadacitinib Effective in Ankylosing Spondylitis

Save

Lancet reports that the selective JAK1 inhibitor, upadacitinib, was effective when given to patients with active ankylosing spondylitis.