EULAR: Tofacitinib Effective in Ankylosing Spondylitis
Desiree van der Heidje, MD, PhD presented the results of a 16-week, phase II, dose-ranging study of tofacitinib (TOFA) in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis.
News
GiACTA Study Shows Benefit of Adding Tocilizumab to Steroid Taper in Giant Cell Arteritis
The GiACTA study has published its top line results demonstrating the efficacy of adding tocilizumab (TCZ) to steroid-tapered therapy in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA).
Eight Deaths Linked to Methotrexate in Australia
Methotrexate , a cornerstone drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, has led to 90 hospitalizations and 7 deaths according to a recent report from the Medical Journal of Australia.
Comorbidities Seen with ANCA-Associated Vasculitis
The damaging potential of many inflammatory disorders is magnified by well-known associated comorbid conditions. This is particularly true in lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic disease.
April-May 2016 Top Social Media News
In April and May 2016, RheumNow sent 82 tweets regarding news, research and teaching points that strongly impacted the rheumatology community and resulted in a reach of 203,500 impressions, with 136 mentions, and over 6378 visits to RheumNow.com. Here are the top tweets from April and May.
RheumNow Week in Review - 3 June 2016
This week's highlights from RheumNow.com include:
Patient Reluctance to Take Bisphosphonates
The NY Times reports that millions of Americans with osteoporosis are driven to stop or not take bisphosphonate therapies over the fear of exceedingly rare side effects - osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) and atypical femoral fractures (AFF).
Tendon Inflammation May Signal Early RA
Tenosynovitis may represent a preclinical phase of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Gastrointestinal Perforation Risk increased for Tofacitinib and Tocilizumab
Gastrointestinal perforations (GIP) are not historically believed to be a common or uncommon complication. Hence, when this was noted in the tocilizumab (TCZ) and tofacitinib (TOFA) developmental trials, it was a curious if not perplexing finding.
Patients Undertreated and Uninformed on Pain Meds and NSAIDs
Pain management in the U.S. is at a vexing crossroad. The news tells us that narcotics are increasingly being restricted for their dangerous side effects and inappropriate use.
Arhalofenate, URAT-1 Inhibitor, Being Developed for Gout
Good news for gout patients includes the recent approval of Zurampic (lesinurad), a URAT-1 inhibitor, and that effective urate-lowering therapy has significant long-term cardiovascular benefits.
RheumNow Week in Review – 27 May 2016
Dr. Cush reviews highlights from this week on RheumNow.com.
