The popularity of natural dietary supplements has grown worldwide, with many adults using them to manage musculoskeletal conditions. But for RA patients, little is known about the risk of side effects and potential adverse drug interactions when taking these supplements with standard RA therapies. New research examined the supplement use patterns of RA patients…
Articles by Natasha Yetman
British Columbia Will Be First Canadian Province to Switch Patients to Biosimilars
TORONTO/MONTREAL (Reuters)—The Canadian province of British Columbia said on May 28 that its public drug plan will switch as many as 20,400 patients from three branded biologic drugs to cheap near-copies called biosimilars, saving an estimated C$96.6 million ($71.9 million) over three years. The new policy from the province’s PharmaCare program targets Johnson & Johnson’s…
U.S. Supreme Court Tosses Ruling Against Merck on Fosamax Osteoporosis Drug
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—On May 20, the U.S. Supreme Court threw out a lower court ruling that had revived hundreds of lawsuits accusing Merck & Co. of failing to properly warn patients of debilitating thigh-bone fractures as a result of taking its osteoporosis drug alendronic acid (Fosamax). The nine justices unanimously directed the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit…
Until Broadband Access Improves, Telemedicine Won’t Help Rural Communities
(Reuters Health)—Telemedicine has been touted as a solution to the dearth of doctors in rural America. But the same places where residents must drive many miles to see a physician often also have limited broadband access, a new study suggests. About 25% of Americans live in rural communities while a mere 10% of physicians practice…
Medicaid Work Rules Likely to Penalize Chronically Ill
(Reuters Health)—States that require adults on Medicaid to work a set number of hours to get benefits may find many people lose coverage because behavioral health conditions and other chronic health problems make it hard for them to work, a U.S. study suggests. Medicaid, a joint federal and state health program for the poor, allows…
How Does Health Literacy Affect the Patient Global Assessment?
For RA patients, a low score on the patient global assessment of disease activity as measured by a visual analog scale (PGA-VAS) is necessary to confirm remission. However, limited patient health literacy combined with the complexity of the scale may result in discrepancies between the PGA-VAS and provider assessments of disease activity. New research examined the patient perspective on the PGA-VAS and its connections to health literacy and disease state…
U.S. Government Website for Comparing Doctors Lacks Data
(Reuters Health)—Physician Compare, a U.S. website created to help patients find high-quality doctors, is missing so much information on individual providers that it may not be helpful, a new study suggests. Quality reporting has been a work in progress for almost three decades since a landmark 1999 report from the Institute of Medicine, ‘To Err…
FDA Approves Drug for Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome
(Reuters)—Jacobus Pharmaceutical Co Inc on Monday won U.S. approval for the first drug to treat children with Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder. The drug, Ruzurgi (amifampridine), was approved for use in patients ages 6–17, the according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS), which affects about three people…
Summit on Connective Tissue Disease-Associated ILD Fosters Interdisciplinary Dialogue
During an international summit, physicians and researchers discussed the key clinical and research aspects of the complex intersection between connective tissue diseases and interstitial lung disease (ILD), proposing initiatives to raise awareness and conduct research to better serve patients with autoimmune forms of ILD…
Patients Value Convenience of Telemedicine
(Reuters Health)—Patients who have real-time video visits with their primary care providers instead of in-person exams are generally satisfied with the convenience and quality of their checkups, a new study suggests. There’s a lot about these telemedicine visits that can sound appealing: no need to get stuck in traffic on the way to the doctor;…
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