EULAR 2016 Recommendations on Early Arthritis
Combe and leading European rheumatologist have published an update to the 2007 European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations for management of early arthritis.
News
Lupus May Be at Increased Risk for Dementia
Neuropsychiatric manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may occur in up to half of patients in their lifetime.
However, dementia is often not reported or studied in cohorts with neurologic disease in lupus.
Supreme Court Declines Biosimilar Patent Dispute
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a case over whether companies that make biosimilar drugs must wait six months after federal approval before they bring them to the market.
Random Drug Levels and Anti-Drug Antibodies Predict Rheumatoid Outcomes
Researchers from Manchester, UK have reported the results of their BRAGGSS study showing that certolizumab (CZP) random drug levels and anti-drug antibody (ADAbs) levels can predict optimal outcomes in CZP treated rheumatoid arthritis patients.
CDC Report on Smoking and Smokeless Tobacco
Combustible and smokeless tobacco use causes adverse health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease and multiple types of cancer. Cigarette consumption in the United States has declined overall since the 1960s, but consumption of other tobacco products has not.
Rituximab May Reduce Mortality Risk in Rheumatoid Lung Disease
While it is known that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with interstitial lung involvement is associated with severe seropositive disease and is associated with an increased mortality.
RheumNow Week in Review – 9 December 2016
Dr. Jack Cush reviews highlights from this week on RheumNow.com.
CanVasc Recommendations for ANCA-Associated Vasculitis
ANCA associated vasculitis (AAV) has undergone considerable study and advances in the last few years.
Herpes Zoster and GCA – What’s the Deal?
In November I reported on an abstract presented at ACR by Muratore, et al. who looked for evidence of VZV infection in temporal artery biopsies of GCA patients and found none.
Nonsignificant CV Risk with Actemra vs Enbrel
WASHINGTON -- Rheumatoid arthritis is a recognized risk factor for heart attacks and stroke, but a study comparing two leading biologics found only a non-significant increase in relative risk for patients treated with toclizimab (Actemra) vs etanercept (Enbrel), researchers reported here.
Physicians Still Over-Prescribe Antibiotics, Narcotics and Opioids
A study by the American College of Physicians (ACP) found that physicians continue to prescribe treatments that offer little benefit to patients, despite the advice of clinical guidelines.
Key Lessons from the TNF Inhibitor Head-to-Head EXXELERATE Study
The EXXELERATE study is featured prominently in Lancet this week. In some ways, this represents a landmark negative trial that rheumatologists should review and be aware of.
