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
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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?
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The 2021 Medscape Survey on Physician burnout ranks rheumatology second, just behind Critical Care medicine.
The survey included over 12,000 physcians from 20 specialties. While 42% of MDs claimed to be burnt-out, Rheumatologists claimed this 50% of the time. The top 3 this year were Critical
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,
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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
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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.
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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
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JAMA has published the BLAZE-1 study, showing significant SARS-CoV-2 viral load reduction at day 11 and less COVID-19 progression when combination anti-spike monoclonal antibody therapy (bamlanivimab and etesevimab) was given to mild to moderate, non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
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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.
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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
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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
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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,
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The CDC has addressed the effects and the issues of domestic and international travel on its website. Below is a sampling of key advice.
Read Article"If you're having trouble paying for your medications, Drug Company X may be able to help."
You may have heard sentences like this at the end of pharmaceutical ads on television, and some clinicians may wonder what exactly the companies do to help their patients. The help usually
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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
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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).
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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
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The diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis (and anklylosing spondylitis) (axSpA) is often delayed and usually not diagnosed by rheumatologists; a recent metanalysis shows that longer delays were attributable to lower education levels, younger age at onset and absence of extra-articular
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According to a recent report in Annals of Rheumatic Disease, public enthusiasm for hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) created significant access issues for rheumatic patients in the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite public, political and quasi research evidence supporting
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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.
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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.
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The fate of the Trump administration's "most favored nation" (MFN) rule for bringing down prescription drug prices remains uncertain as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to assume office later this month.
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