Abaloparatide has completed clinical trials, which showed the treatment to be safe and effective in reducing fracture rates in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Also, XmAb5871 is being studied to treat systemic lupus erythematosus and doesn’t destroy B cells…
(Reuters Health)—Women who maintain an overall healthy diet may benefit from a slightly reduced risk of hip fractures later in life, according to a new U.S. study. Women who followed a Mediterranean-style diet were about three tenths of a percent less likely to break a hip over about 16 years, compared to women who didn’t…
Transitions in medical care can be high-risk periods due to the loss of continuity in care and worsening of medical conditions. Approximately one-quarter of the estimated 18 million adolescents aged 18–21 years in the U.S. have chronic conditions, including rheumatic diseases. Interventions in rheumatology practice can improve transition processes. Transition-readiness assessment tools and transition-satisfaction scales are available for use in rheumatology transition processes…
During pro-inflammatory stimulation, a recent study found HIF1α—not Myc—is required for the regulation of glycolysis in macrophages. Researchers examined macrophages and the distinct transcriptional programs engaged in response to mitogenic and pro-inflammatory stimulation…
(Reuters Health)—Mind-based therapy programs may help ease chronic back pain, new research suggests. Patients who took part in such programs were more likely to have noticeable and lasting improvements in back pain than those who stuck to their usual routines, investigators found. Both of the approaches tested in the study—mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and cognitive…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The combination of denosumab and teriparatide improves bone microarchitecture and estimated strength more than either drug alone in women with severe postmenopausal osteoporosis, researchers have found. Dr. Joy Tsai, from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues conducted a single-site, two-year, open-label, randomized controlled trial involving 94 women aged 45 or older…
(Reuters)—U.S. health regulators said on Tuesday they have approved a drug from Eli Lilly and Co. to treat adults with moderate to severe cases of plaque psoriasis. The injectable drug known chemically as ixekizumab will be sold under the brand name Taltz, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said. Taltz works by blocking interleukein-17A, a…
Recent research by Michael Weinblatt, MD, and colleagues has demonstrated that a biosimilar derived from adalimumab is both effective and safe for treating patients with rheumatoid arthritis. But Dr. Weinblatt says, the benefits of such biosimilars hinge on cost and patient access…
(Reuters)—Health insurer Anthem Inc. said it had sued pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts Holding Co. to recover damages from drug pricing it believes was too high. The lawsuit, filed on Monday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, is the latest development in a month’s long dispute over Anthem’s contract with…
(Reuters Health)—The proportion of older Americans taking at least five medications or supplements went up in a recent study. The increase in people using multiple medications paralleled an increase in the number of older Americans at risk for major drug interactions, researchers found. “That’s a concern from a public health standpoint, because it’s getting worse,”…