At least 6% of patients who used biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) suffered refractory disease, according to a recent study based on data from the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Registry for Rheumatoid Arthritis.1 This observational study evaluated the extent of biologic refractory rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The study defined biologic refractory disease as occurring in…
The Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP) was launched in 2014 as a public-private partnership to spur development of new therapeutic options for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Five years in, this unprecedented public-private effort is achieving its major milestones and yielding tools to accelerate potential new drug discoveries. The Rheumatology Research Foundation is…
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…
Antibody-secreting cells are important for the pathophysiology of SLE and RA, but researchers have been unable to determine how these cells are activated. A new technique is able to distinguish between naïve autoreactive B cells and established antibody secreting cells…
A post-hoc analysis of data from two large clinical trials supports treat-to-target recommendations for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The research found baseline disease activity was the strongest predictor of a patient’s insufficient response to initial therapy at six months…
A 66-year-old female patient returns for a second infusion of rituximab for her diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis in multiple sites. She is rheumatoid factor positive. She says the pain in her knees, elbows and neck has slightly improved. She rates the severity of her pain at a 7 on a 10-point scale, which is an…
Take the challenge. CPT Codes: 96413, 96415 x 3, J9312 x 5, 96375, J2920 Diagnoses: M05.79 Coding Rationale As of Jan. 1, 2019, the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code for rituximab was changed from J9310 rituximab 100 mg, to the new HCPCS code J9312 (injection, rituximab, 100 mg). According to a Verywell Health…
Introduction: Heart failure, a key contributor to cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality, is associated with fewer symptoms and higher (preserved) ejection fraction, but higher mortality rates, in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients than among those in the general population. In the general population, higher levels of circulating proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)…
Galectin-3 may have potential as a biomarker for the early onset of cardiovascular disease in RA patients, potentially enabling early intervention and deferring the cardiovascular risks associated with RA…
New research does not support the use of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided strategy for treating RA patients. The study found that among RA patients in remission, an MRI-guided treat-to-target strategy compared with a conventional treat-to-target strategy did not result in improved disease activity remission rates or reduced radiographic progression…