New research in mice shows that sclerostin deficiency may play a significant role in bone formation, possibly despite skeletal age. In the study, sclerostin-deficient mice more readily formed cortical bone and had increases in periosteal bone formation rates, as well as increased expression of the Wnt inhibitor Dkk1, than controls…
In addition to outstanding educational sessions, the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting offers an opportunity to make connections and build relationships…
In an extension study, nearly half the patients with plaque psoriasis taking secukinumab maintained skin clearance for the five years of the study…
NEW YORK (Reuters)—Democratic U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill on Thursday said she drafted a bill stating that tribal sovereign immunity cannot be used to block U.S. Patent and Trademark Office review of a patent. Drugmaker Allergan Plc made a deal to transfer some of its patents to a Native American tribe two weeks ago in order…
BOSTON (Reuters)—New Jersey on Thursday accused Insys Therapeutics Inc of engaging in a fraudulent scheme to boost sales of a fentanyl-based cancer pain drug, as Massachusetts announced a $500,000 settlement with the drugmaker to resolve similar allegations. The lawsuit by New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino accused Insys of illegally directing its sales force to…
(Reuters)—Amid a growing U.S. opioid addiction, health insurer Cigna Corp will stop covering OxyContin, the opioid painkiller sold by Purdue Pharma LP, as of January 1 and will instead cover an equivalent with a formulation less vulnerable to abuse, the company said on Wednesday. The insurer has signed a “value-based contract” with Collegium Pharmaceutical Inc…
All healthcare professionals who work in rheumatology had to start adapting to a new landscape of reporting and documentation on Jan. 1 of this year when the Medicare Access and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Act, or MACRA, began. As the changeover continues, the Sunday ARHP session, Your New Role in the Era of…
Changes to reimbursement introduced by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) will affect your Medicare income for 2019. “Rheumatologists generally know that MACRA is up and running,” says Angus Worthing, MD, FACR, FACP, clinical assistant professor of rheumatology at Georgetown University Medical Center and chair of the ACR’s Government Affairs Committee. “Virtually every…
In many respects, this is the beginning of the golden age of rheumatology. Diagnostic and therapeutic approaches are now available that have radically altered for the better the lives of people with diseases that were considered virtually untreatable just a few years ago. The rheumatologist’s approach to patients with rheumatoid arthritis, the spondyloarthropathies, osteoporosis and…
While the latest version of the Republican-sponsored healthcare bill once again falters and its prospects of becoming the new law of the land fade, plenty of advocacy work is continuing on behalf of rheumatologists and rheumatology practices. The ACR, along with multiple partners, has renewed its push for regulatory relief in a number of areas…