In a recent study, upadacitinib proved safe and effective to treat rheumatoid arthritis in patients with inadequate responses to conventional synthetic DMARDs…

In a recent study, upadacitinib proved safe and effective to treat rheumatoid arthritis in patients with inadequate responses to conventional synthetic DMARDs…
Arthritis & Rheumatology |
The introduction of biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) has greatly expanded the treatment options for managing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In many patients, biologic DMARDs improve clinical symptoms, improve function and slow disease progression. Biologic DMARDs are recommended as add-on treatment to conventional synthetic DMARDs, such as methotrexate (MTX) in patients who experienced an incomplete response…
Lisa Rapaport |
(Reuters Health)—Many outcomes for hospital patients—including how long they stay and their survival odds after they go home—may depend on whether or not they’re cared for by their primary care physician, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers examined data on 560,651 admissions nationwide for patients covered by Medicare, the U.S. health program for the elderly and…
Carl O'Donnell & Caroline Humer |
(Reuters)—U.S. drugstore chain operator CVS Health Corp said on Sunday it had agreed to acquire U.S. health insurer Aetna Inc. for $69 billion, seeking to tackle soaring healthcare spending through lower-cost medical services in pharmacies. This year’s largest corporate acquisition will combine one of the nation’s largest pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) and pharmacy operators with…
Lisa Rapaport |
(Reuters Health)—Consumers who search online for prices of common medical procedures may be disappointed by what they find, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers used the search engines Google and Bing to check the cost of common services like cholesterol tests, hip replacements and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans in 8 cities: New York; Los Angeles;…
A recent study suggests novel markers of dry eye disease can be found in the lacrimal fluid and tear fluid of patients. Researchers analyzed the proteins in these fluids and found immune response-related proteins are upregulated at the protein level in lacrimal fluid of patients with dry eye disease and may be an important biomarker…
In clinical practice, many unknowns exist about how SLE affects the brain—particularly in children. To help these young children battling pediatric SLE, Andrea Knight, MD, MSCE, is examining how advanced neuroimaging techniques may uncover potential inflammatory and non-inflammatory mechanisms of neuropsychiatric dysfunction in lupus…
Lisa Rapaport |
(Reuters Health)—Even when consumers have health plans that require them to pay a high amount out-of-pocket for care, they often don’t talk to doctors about the price of treatments or shop around to get the best deal, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers focused on high-deductible health plans, which typically have lower monthly premiums than other…
Lisa Rapaport |
(Reuters Health)—Patients may become less satisfied with their care when doctors refuse their requests for things, such as prescriptions or lab tests, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers examined data on 1,141 patients with a total of 1,319 doctor visits. Overall, about two-thirds of these visits included at least one patient request for the doctor to…
Will Boggs MD |
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Most recent clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) are based on expert opinion and lack A-level evidence in support of their recommendations, researchers report. “I’d like to highlight not just for providers but also for patients and policymakers that, even though we in the United States are…