Outcomes

JAK Inhibitor Misses Endpoint in Safety Study. Now What?

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Pfizer announced results Wednesday from its FDA-mandated postmarketing safety study of tofacitinib (Xeljanz), and they don't bode well for the drug and possibly others in its class.

Compared with patients taking tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, those assigned to tofacitinib (5

Urate Lowering Therapy During Acute Gout

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Acute gout has its well defined protocols, and most state that urate lowering therapy (ULT) should be continued; but does ULT affect outcomes in an acute gout attack?

Protective Effects of Colchicine in Non-Hospitalized COVID-19

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A press release from Montreal Heart Institute announced that the COLCORONA clinical trial provided evidence of the protective effect of colchicine; demonstrating a 21% reduced risk of death or hospitalizations in patients with COVID-19 compared to placebo. COLCORONA trial was a contact-less,

Voclosporin FDA Approved for Lupus Nephritis

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On January 22nd, the FDA approved voclosporin (Lupkynis) for use in adults with active lupus nephritis; voclosporin is a calcineurin-inhibitor immunosuppressant indicated for use in combination with a background immunosuppressive therapy. FDA approval was based on data from the pivotal AURORA

RheumNow Podcast – Don’t Hold the Benlysta, Take the Vaccine (1.22.2021)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com, with more than a dozen items to discuss on this week's podcast.

NEJM: Early Combo Monoclonal Antibody Therapy in COVID-19

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NEJM has published the interim analysis of the REGN-COV2 trial, wherein an antibody cocktail reduced viral loads with less clinical consequences. 

Recent data suggest that high viral loads are associated with greater risk for COVID-19 complications and death. A combination of two

Low Risk of TB with Secukinumab

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JAMA Dermatology has reported on a longitudinal cohort study of 12,319 secukinumab (SEC) treated patients (psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, or ankylosing spondylitis); no new cases of active tuberculosis (TB) and very few cases of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) were found. 

Mortality Risk in Rheumatoid Lung Patients

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A Medicare claims analysis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients showed that RA-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) was seen in nearly 5% of patients and was found to increase mortality risks, including respiratory and cancer mortality not explained by other factors.

Sparks

Factors Predictive of SLE Flare After HCQ Taper/Discontinuation

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The benefits of hydroxychloroquine in lupus are many, but if you were to withdraw HCQ? A recent study of five Canadian cohorts, suggests that certain baseline variables, including age, race, and steroid use,  were predictive of flare in patients with SLE who tapered or discontinued treatment

Inequities in Telemedicine During COVID-19

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Health equity in the telehealth age has assumed added importance since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The Federal Communications Commission estimates that about 21 million Americans don't have access to the Internet in their homes. Other sources estimate it is closer to 162 million. However,

2020 Rheumatology Year in Review

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2020 was historic, memorable and game-changing. Under the cloud of COVID-19, there were many significant and memorable advances and setbacks for the rheumatology world. In our accounting of most read articles for 2020, (not surprisingly) 17/20 were COVID-related. Below, are our top news items

ProDERM Study: IVIG in Dermatomyositis

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The ProDERM study design and outcomes are previewed in Medicine; and as promised the results were revealed at ACR Convergence in November 2020 showing that IVIg is safe, effective and superior to placebo i(PBO) in patients with dermatomyositis (DM).

Long Term Safety and Efficacy of Tacrolimus in Lupus Nephritis

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Takeuchi et al has published their large experience with long-term tacrolimus use in lupus nephritis patients showing its real-world safety and efficacy.

This oopen-label, observational, cohort study from 275 sites in Japan, included 1355 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients

Adipose Transplants as a New Regulator of Osteoarthritis

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A novel report from PNAS suggests that in osteoarthritis (OA), the damage is not entirely from body weight and mechanics, instead it may be from adipose tissue itself.

Corticosteroid Use Hikes CV Risks in Rheumatic Patients

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UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink population study shows that patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, such as RA, PMR, GCA and IBD, have an augmented risk of CV outcomes with glucocorticoid use; even lower doses had a near doubling of their underlying CVD risk.

Adherence to Hydroxychloroquine Lowers Lupus Mortality

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A lupus cohort study from British Columbia, Canada has shown that medication adherence with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is associated with a 71% to 83% lower mortality. 

Rhapsody Study: IL-1 Inhibition in Recurrent Pericarditis

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Recurrent pericarditis is a rare, probable autoinflammatory disorder mediated by interleukin-1 (IL-1); and is often refractory to glucocorticoids and colchicine. A novel trial of IV rilonacept, an IL-1 α and IL-1β cytokine trap, resulted in rapid resolution of recurrent pericarditis and to a

EULAR Guidance on Patient Adherence to Meds

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Non-adherence may be the single most untold risk to suboptimal outcomes in the care of musculoskeletal disease.  It has been estimated that 30-80% of patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) are nonadherent to prescribed regimens.  EULAR has commissioned a task force to

Spinal Benefits Seen With Cosentyx in PsA

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Secukinumab (Cosentyx) was effective for axial manifestations of psoriatic arthritis in a 52-week multicenter phase III study, investigators reported.

The primary endpoint of a 20% response on the criteria of the Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society (ASAS20) at week

Telemedicine Less Utilized in the South and Urban Areas

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MMWR has reported on a July 2020 survey study from 1,009 Health Resources and Services Administration–funded health centers showing that urban Health centers were more likely to provide virtual visits than those in rural areas.

Telehealth has expanded healthcare access, especially in

Plaquenil Does Not Protect Lupus Patients from COVID-19 (Best of 2020)

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Annals of Rheumatic Disease reports on an analysis of lupus (SLE) patients that shows COVID-19 infection rates were similar between those lupus patients who were taking hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and those not taking HCQ. 

Update on Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Giant Cell Arteritis (Best of 2020)

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JAMA has published a clinical update of recent studies on GCA. While PET/CT scanning are novel means of demonstrating activity, they have not changed the diagnostic approach to GCA or PMR and although there are no new proven treatment strategies for PMR beyond glucocorticoids, the FDA has

ACR 2020 Reproductive Guidelines - Medication Use with Pregnancy (Best of 2020)

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The ACR has published guidelines to manage reproductive health issues in rheumatic disease (RMD) patients before, during and after pregnancy. In this second excerpt from their guidelines articles, we present recommendations (and good clinical practice statements) for paternal rheumatology

ACR 2020 Reproductive Guidelines - Lactation Guidance (Best of 2020)

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In this third excerpt from the ACR guidelines on managing reproductive health issues in rheumatic disease patients, we present recommendations regarding the use of glucocorticoids and guidance on lactation and medication use post-partum.

Best of 2020: New EULAR/ACR Classification Criteria for SLE

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The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) have jointly developed new classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); prompted by the need for criteria that were both highly sensitive and specific. The net result is improved