Out of Pocket Costs for Biosimilars - No Savings So Far

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JAMA has published an analysis showing that under Medicare Part D, RA biosimilar infliximab-dyyb was only moderately less expensive (18% less) than the biologic infliximab and, owing to differences in gap discounts, the out of pocket costs for the biosimilar was nearly $1700 more than infliximab

Cutting Oral JAK 1/2 Inhibitor Dose an Option in RA

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Many patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who achieved sustained disease control with baricitinib (Olumiant) treatment were able to reduce their daily dose from 4 mg to 2 mg and maintain their response, a double-blind substudy of a long-term extension trial found.

Physician Burnout May Jeopardize Patient Safety

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A metanalysis of studies and over 42,000 physician shows that MD burnout is associated with 2-fold increased in unsafe care, unprofessional behaviors, and low patient satisfaction. The primary outcomes were the quantitative associations between burnout and patient safety, professionalism, and patient satisfaction.

Interferon Blocker Disappoints in SLE

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Yet another setback has occurred in the efforts to develop new medications for treating systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), as anifrolumab failed to meet the primary endpoint in a phase III trial, according to AstraZeneca and MedImmune. 

RheumNow Week in Review – Medical School Advice (9.7.18)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.

Osteoarthritis and the Risk of Mortality

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Osteoarthritis (OA) affects 27 million Americans but its affect on mortality is uncertain. A recent study shows that while self-reported OA does not increase mortality, radiographic OA of the knee (RKOA) is associated with higher mortality related to CVD, diabetes and renal disease.

ACR Releases State-by-State Rheumatic Disease Report Card

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The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) today released the Rheumatic Disease Report Card: Raising the Grade on Rheumatology Care in America, a first-of-its-kind report that evaluates just how difficult it can be to live well with a rheumatic disease in the United States.

Methotrexate's Low Efficacy in Cutaneous Psoriasis

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In a prospective, double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled study, Warren et al. studied the effect of an intensified methotrexate (MTX) in chronic plaque psoriasis and showed MTX to be effective and superior to placebo.

Usual Allopurinol Doses Insufficient in CKD Patients

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Uric acid (sUA) control may be a challenge in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). A cohort study shows that conventional dosing recommendations for allopurinol are unlikely to reach target serum sUA goals.

CRA Recommendations for Lupus Assessment and Monitoring

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A Canadian Rheumatology Association SLE Working Group was established to develop recommendations for the assessment of people with systemic lupus erythematosus. A panel that included 23 adult rheumatologists, 4 pediatric rheumatologists, 1 immunologist, 4 general internal medicine and rheumatology trainees, and a patient representative, used GRADE methodology to assess the literature and develop guidelines.

Tocilizumab Equals other Biologics in Cardiovascular Risk

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An odd side effect of several new agents is the risk of hyperlipidemia. While this has been seen with tocilizumab (TCZ), there does not appear to be a resultant risk of cardiovascular (CV) events. A study of claims data compared CV risk in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients receiving TOC (an IL6 receptor antagonists) and other biologics and found no differences with regard to CV outcomes.

Sleep Apnea Raises Gout Risk

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Patients with obstructive sleep apnea were at increased risk for incident gout, particularly in the first years after the sleep apnea diagnosis, U.K. researchers reported.