Skip to main content

News

Part 1:  The “P” in Prednisone stands for Poison...and Other Pearls

Everyone has life hacks.  Years of experience and doing the same things repetitively allow us to figure out little tricks to make life easier. A rat in a maze, finding itself at a dead end, will back up and search for a clearing.

New Treatments in Axial SpA from #ACR2019

There were new developments in the treatment of axial Spondyloarthritis (AS) at ACR 2019. The first area is on the use of anti-IL17A drugs, secukinumab and ixekizumab in non-radiographic AS. The second area is the use of JAK-1 inhibitor Upadacitinib in radiographic AS.

RheumNow Podcast – ACR 2019 Round Up (11.15.19)

Dr. Jack Cush presents his favorite abstracts and presentations from Rheumatology Round Up and ACR 2019.

RheumNow Podcast – Better Ways to Treat Gout (11.8.19)

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.

T2T Lowers Mortality in Gout

A Spanish prospective cohort of active, uncontrolled gout patients were followed and showed that failure to reach a target serum uric acid (sUA) level of 6 mg/dl (0.36 mmol/L) or less was associated with a 2-3 fold increase in mortality.

In RA, Activity Protects Cognition

Physical activity appeared to be protective against the development of cognitive impairments among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a prospective cohort study found.

Most Psoriatics Go on Biologics

A cohort study of 97 patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) examined the prescribing practices in PsA, and found biologics are commonly initiated as the primary mode of therapy in outpatients with PsA. However, treatment modifications can be made regarding patients who are managed with apremilast alone.

New EMA Warnings for Tofacitinib in Patients at Risk for Clots

The European Medicines Agency safety committee (PRAC) has concluded that Xeljanz (tofacitinib - TOFA) could increase the risk of blood clots in the lungs and in deep veins in patients who are already at high risk for venous thromboembolic events. The PRAC is recommending that TOFA should be used with caution in patients at high risk of blood clots (VTE), regardless of dose used.

Mallinckrodt Receives SEC Subpoena

Reuters reports that Mallinckrodt Plc has received a subpoena from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for documents related to the drugmaker’s lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Year in Review - Psoriatic Arthritis 2019

Major new insights into the treatment of psoriatic arthritis dominated the headlines during the past year, with a head-to-head trial comparing IL-17A inhibition with tumor necrosis factor blockade, another study considering whether methotrexate can improve outcomes with anti-TNF therapy in PsA, and an investigation into the effects of biologic therapy on bone.

Physical Activity Lowers Fracture Risk in Post-Menopausal Women

An analysis from the Women’s Health Initiative study shows that postmenopausal women who participate in vigorous physical activity have a statistically lower risk of total and site-specific fractures

EXCEED Study: Cosentyx Equals Humira in Psoriatic Arthritis

Novartis has announced the results of the EXCEED trial that pitted its IL-17 inhibitor, Cosentyx (secukinumab - SEC) against Humira (adalimumab - ADA) in patients with active psoriatic arthritis. The trial demonstrated that SEC was not non-inferior to ADA, but failed to meet its primary endpoint of superiority over ADA as far as drug efficacy.
×