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An official publication of the ACR and the ARP serving rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals

U.S. Senate Confirms Rep. Price as Health Secretary

Susan Cornwell  |  

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate voted on Friday to confirm Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) as the top U.S. healthcare official, putting a determined opponent of Obamacare in position to help President Donald Trump dismantle the healthcare law. The Senate voted 52-47 to approve the conservative congressman and orthopedic surgeon as secretary of the Department…

U.S. Senators Question Kaleo’s $4,500 tag on Opioid Overdose Treatment

Ankur Banerjee  |  

(Reuters)—U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) on Thursday asked Kaleo Pharmaceuticals to justify the more than 550% surge in the price of its device to treat opioid overdoses, becoming the second senator to question Evzio’s $4,500 price tag. Evzio contains the overdose-reversing drug naloxone and can be used in emergencies by people without medical training. Privately…

U.S. Court Blocks Anthem-Cigna Deal

Diane Bartz & Caroline Humer  |  

(Reuters)—A federal judge on Wednesday ruled against U.S. health insurer Anthem Inc.’s proposed $54 billion merger with smaller rival Cigna Corp, derailing an unprecedented effort to consolidate the country’s health insurance industry. The U.S. Department of Justice sued in July to stop Anthem’s purchase of Cigna, a deal that would have created the largest U.S….

U.S. House Speaker: Obamacare Replacement Law to Pass this Year

Susan Cornwell  |  

WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The U.S. House of Representatives‘ Republican leader said on Tuesday that legislation to replace former President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law will be completed this year, trying to assuage concerns that the party is retreating from its campaign promise to dismantle Obamacare. “We are going to be done legislating with respect to healthcare and…

‘Booster Sessions’ May Help Older Adults Stick with Arthritis Exercises

Lorraine L. Janeczko  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—”Booster sessions” with a physiotherapist help older adults with osteoarthritis keep doing their exercises, a new systematic review and meta-analysis suggests. “There is strong evidence for the benefits of exercise for people with osteoarthritis or chronic low back pain. However, multiple studies have shown adherence to exercise declines over time, and the…

RA Treatment Options: Researchers Explore Groundwork for New Therapies

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WASHINGTON, D.C.—Researchers at the 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting discussed how they are exploring the immune system in search of groundwork for new rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatments. The new avenues, supported by the Rheumatology Research Foundation, involve T cell adhesion, new understanding of the role of macrophages and insights into the way IgG glycans function. T…

Disease Trends in Hispanic RA Patients in the U.S.

Arthritis Care & Research  |  

As the Hispanic population has grown in the U.S., very little research has examined the potentially unique clinical features of rheumatoid arthritis in these patients. A new small-scale study of Hispanic patients with RA identified trends in functional disability—showing that disease activity, pain and depression were modifiable parameters over time, with consistent, independent and additive contributions to changes in functional disability across the disease trajectory…

Similar Outcomes with Early or Late Mobilization After Rotator Cuff Repair

Rita Buckley  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Early or late mobilization after rotator cuff surgery appears to yield similar outcomes, according to a new meta-analysis. Dr. Bruno Fles Mazuquin from the University of Central Lancashire in the U.K., and colleagues conducted an overview of systematic reviews comparing the effectiveness of early and conservative rehabilitation after rotator cuff repair. The…

Statins May Protect Against RA

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A recent observational study found a link between high-intensity statin therapy and a 23% reduced risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Although further research is needed, researchers note this study “provides robust evidence of a protective effect of high-intensity statins on the risk of RA.”