RA Sarilumab Trials Meet Primary Endpoints
Three phase III studies of sarilumab (SARIL-RA-TARGET, -EASY and -ASCERTAIN), a fully-human IL6 receptor antibody, have been reported and met primary end points in these pivotal clinical trials.
News
Inflammatory Fibromyalgia - Is it Possible?
Fibromyalgia is a noninflammatory disorder. However, there are patients with prolonged morning stiffness, subjective joint swelling and many with modest-to-moderate elevations of acute-phase reactants.
Underuse & Overuse of DXA Screening
A US Preventive Services Task Force recommends DEXA screening in women >65 yrs and only in women 65 yrs if there is a significan risk of fracture. Amarnath and coworkers studied 50,995 women in primary care, aged 40-85 years, between 2006-2012.
Amgen & Abbvie Increase the Price of TNF Inhibitors
The manufacturers of the 2 best selling TNF inhibitors, Enbrel and Humira, have announced a 9.9% price increase of May 1st. The current average price of Enbrel is $42,000 per annum.
The Real Prevalence of Sjogren's Syndrome
The population prevalence of Sjogrens syndrome is 0.2%, with an incidence of 4 cases per 100,000 per year. Sjogrens is 20 times more common in females than males.
A Microneedle Pill as an Alternative to Injectable Drug
Carl Schoellhammerhas just won the Lemelson-MIT National Collegiate Student Prize for his invention - the microneedle pill.
Sjogrens Syndrome and Familial Risk
A population based study from Taiwan shows that Sjogren's syndrome, to have a prevalence of 0.05%. The prevalence of the syndrome, however, was 10 times higher among women (0.10%) compared to men (0.01%). Overall, having an affected first-degree relative with Sjogren's syndrome carried
Men are Less Likely to be Screened for Osteoporosis
Study by Dashkova et al finds males less likely to have their bone density checked, but suffered worse outcomes. "We were surprised at how big a difference we found between men and women regarding osteoporosis," study author Dr.
The Danger Model as an Alternative Cause of Autoimmunity
The danger model was proposed by Matzinger as an alternative (or complement) to the traditional self-non-self (SNS) model of autoimmunity.
Adalimumab Gets FDA Orphan Drug Status for Use in Hidradenitis Suppurativa
The FDA has granted adalimumab (Humira) orphan drug designation for the investigational treatment of moderate-to-severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) (Hurley Stage II and Hurley Stage III disease).
Pisetsky on Digital Infarcts and Rheumatoid Vasculitis
"As scholars of disease have noted, RA today appears to be a less severe disease than it was when I started my career in the 1970s. Then, patients routinely ‘went up in smoke’ and rapidly became crippled, wasting away in a state we called ‘burnt out’.
