Rheumatologists are already familiar with one mosquito-borne virus, chikungunya, whose presentation mimics arthritis. Now, with its recent spread to Puerto Rico and the Southeastern U.S., Zika, another mosquito-borne virus, has become an international public health concern. Sexual transmission of the virus was recently confirmed, expanding the virus’s threat…
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a cheaper, biosimilar version of AbbVie’s top-selling arthritis drug, adalimumab (Humira). The drug, adalimumab-atto (Amjevita), is made by biotechnology company Amgen Inc. and was approved to treat rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis and other conditions. Amjevita is the fourth biosimilar to be approved…
The transition from employee to manager in a rheumatology practice can be daunting. But according to experts, setting clear roles and responsibilities and cultivating professional relationships with your employees ultimately help make you and the practice successful…
After winning the initial patent infringement lawsuit filed by Janssen, Celltrion Inc. is now shipping Inflectra (infliximab-dyyb), a biosimilar of Remicade (infliximab), to the U.S…
A recent review examined the effectiveness of arthroscopic mensical surgery in treating meniscal injuries. Researchers determined that little evidence exists to support the use of arthroscopic meniscal surgery and more studies that directly compare it with nonoperative treatments are needed…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—An autoantibody to glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is associated with relapsing autoimmune meningoencephalomyelitis that is responsive to immunotherapy, researchers report. “Autoimmune GFAP meningoencephalomyelitis is the second autoimmune neurological disease in which the target of the immune attack is recognized to be the astrocyte type of brain cell,” Dr. Vanda A. Lennon…
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The U.S. Justice Department will enlist federal prosecutors to help fight the nation’s opioid crisis by sharing information on overprescribing doctors and coordinating with public health officials to address addiction, USA Today reported on Friday. “You can’t just have an enforcement strategy alone,” Attorney General Loretta Lynch told the newspaper in an interview. She…
Using social media goes beyond self-promotion, says David Deutsch. “If you can give prospective patients something that changes their lives, they will care about you.” A few thoughts on social media and rheumatology practices…
In a clinical trial, subcutaneous abaloparatide has proved effective in treating postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Also in the U.K., draft guidelines for treating ankylosing spondylitis will recommend the use of secukinumab…
For arthritis patients who live in farming communities, just getting to rheumatologist Lynne Peterson, MD’s, office in Bismarck, N.D., can take a lot of time and energy. “Because of the shortage of rheumatologists, patients living in rural areas tend to receive inadequate rheumatologic evaluation and care,” says Dr. Peterson, whose clinic is located at Sanford…