Tofacitinib Equal to Etanercept in Psoriasis, but only at 10 mg bid Dose
A 12-week, phase III, non-inferiority, randomized clinical trial of tofacitinib, etanercept or placebo was conducted in 1106 patients with plaque psoriasis.
News
Comorbidities Increasing in Arthritis Patients
A CDC report shows comorbid conditions exist in 73.1% of all arthritis patients. Based on NHIS survey data, the number of patients with 2 or more comorbid conditions has increased from 21.8% in 2001 to 25.5% in 2012. Most affected were older adults (≥65 years), women, wh
Eczema associated with osteoporosis and fractures
NHANES data shows eczema is associated with a higher rate of fractures and osteoporosis. Of the nearly 5,000 people included in the study, seven percent reported a diagnosis of eczema.
Safety of Azathioprine in SLE Pregnancy Studied
Saavedrra and coworkers studied 178 lupus pregnancies and compared outcomes in the 87 azathioprine exposed compared to the 91 who were not exposed. There were no differences between groups with regard to fetal outcomes. No major congenital malformatons were noted.
Will legislation change copays?
Dr. Angus Worthing writes of patient angst over rising copays. Expensive specialty medications are the frequent target of "sharing" the rising costs of medications and making them the patients responsibility and not the insurers.
DECT Evidence of Urate Deposition is Associated with X-ray Damage in Gout
Dalbeth and coworkers studied 92 patients with gout and using DECT scanning have shown those with urate deposition on DECT were 8.5-fold more likely to have erosive disease on plain radiographs.
Nonadherence to Self-Injected Biologics is High
Researchers from the University of Manchester investigated self-reported adherence to biologic treatment in RA and found that 41% of patients were non-adherent to adalimumab therapy at least once, and 23% were nonadherent overall. http://bit.ly/1KA2
Osteoporosis Induced by Bariatric Surgery
Although the cause is not clear, women who have weight loss surgery have a higher risk of thinning bones (osteoporosis) and fractures over time, according to a new analysis of a Swedish study.
Medicare D and Costly Biologics
25% of Medicare beneficiaries with rheumatoid arthritis use high-cost biologics. Yazdany and coworkers have analyzed a national cohort of beneficiaries and compared Medicare part D plans.
Prevalence of doctor-diagnosed arthritis and activity limitations
52.5 million US adults (22.7%) have arthritis with half of these claiming activity limitation because of arthritis and pain. Many arthritis patients have comorbid conditions including heart disease (49%), diabetes (47%) and obesity (31%).
Amgen Halts Development of Brodalumab
IL-17 inhibitors are being developed for treatment of psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis. Broadalumab has been in phase II & III trials and been developed by a partnership between Amgen and Astra-Zeneca.
Sildenafil May Help Heal Scleroderma Ulcers
A prospective study of sildenafil was conducted in 25 centers that included 83 patients and 192 digital ulcers at entry. The odds of healing ulcers was less, but not significant, for sildenafil.
