(Reuters Health)—In the U.S. between 2010 and 2012, nearly $73 billion was spent on brand name medications instead of less expensive alternatives, according to a new study. A large portion of that money was spent by patients, the researchers found. “Prescription drug prescribing during the time of this paper was not efficient and still isn’t…
Medicare Telemedicine Underuse May Not Be Due to Reimbursement Policies
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Contrary to previous research, mandating commercial insurance reimbursement of telemedicine was not associated with faster growth in Medicare telemedicine use, according to a newly published study. Dr. Ateev Mehrotra of Harvard Medical School, Boston, and colleagues examined trends in telemedicine utilization by Medicare from 2004–2013 using claims from a 20% random sample…
Epilepsy Patients May Have Poor Bone Health, High Fracture Risk
Some patients with epilepsy have a higher risk of fracture due to falls, and some studies have suggested that anti-epileptic drugs may also contribute to the fracture risk. In a recent review, researchers examined if there is a link between epilepsy and osteoporosis, making recommendations to aid future research…
Golimumab Effective as Maintenance Treatment for Active Ulcerative Colitis
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Subcutaneous golimumab every four weeks provides effective long-term maintenance for patients with active ulcerative colitis (UC), according to results from the PURSUIT-SC extension study. The main PURSUIT-M study showed that golimumab treatment maintained clinical responses through Week 54. For most patients, maintenance therapy for UC is required long term. Dr. Peter R….
Antibodies Can Spot RA in the General Population
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA), particularly high anti-CCP2 titers, can diagnose rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the general population with a high degree of accuracy, a Swedish study suggests. ACPA are highly specific for RA, but until now the diagnostic accuracy of ACPA in the general population has not been “thoroughly assessed,” note Dr….
Patients with Lupus: Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells Fail to Induce Regulatory B Cells
A recent study found that plasmacytoid dentricitic cells (pDCs) control the differentiation of immature B cells into regulatory B (Breg) cells or plasmablast, depending on the concentration of IFNα. For patients with SLE, researchers found that immune regulatory feedback between pDCs and Breg cells is dysfunctional, with the exception of patients who respond to rituximab…
New Guideline: NSAIDs Effective in Treating Ankylosing Spondylitis & Nonradiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis
In February, new recommendations were released for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis and nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis, noting that NSAIDs may be the best initial treatment for the diseases, with TNF inhibitors as second-line therapies. The guideline was the result of a joint effort by the ACR, the Spondylitis Association of America and the Spondyloarthritis Research and Treatment Network…
Foot Orthoses vs. Rocker-Sole Footwear: Which Treatment Is More Effective for Reducing Pain in First MPT Joint OA?
Foot osteoarthritis (OA) of the first metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint is thought to have biomechanical factors, but its treatments have not been comprehensively tested in clinical trials. In the first study to explore the efficacy of mechanical interventions, researchers compared the effectiveness of foot orthoses and rocker-sole footwear in reducing pain. Both interventions were effective, but the foot orthoses group wore the intervention for significantly more hours than the footwear group…
Tofacitinib Promising for Psoriatic Arthritis & FDA Issues Alert for Warning for Saxagliptin & Alogliptin Diabetes Treatments
A recent Phase 3 study found tofacitinib safe and effective for treating psoriatic arthritis at both 5 mg and 10 mg doses compared with placebo. And the FDA has added label warnings to saxagliptin and alogliptin for an increased risk of heart failure in individuals taking the drugs, particularly in those with heart and kidney disease…
Mucosal Healing Seen with Infliximab Biosimilar CT-P13 in Ulcerative Colitis
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—About two-thirds of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) had mucosal healing by the end of induction treatment with the infliximab biosimilar CT-P13, according to results of the first prospective study to evaluate this. CT-P13 is the first biosimilar monoclonal antibody of reference infliximab (Remicade) approved in Europe and several other countries where…
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