A recent study examined the differences in T helper cell subtypes and osteoclast precursors between patients with early RA and healthy controls. Researchers found that standard treatment combined with a single dose of cholecalcipherol may better improve the general health of patients…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—In patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), disease-activity-guided dose reduction of a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) is safe and effective in the long-term and leads to a large reduction in TNFi use, according to three-year data from the DRESS study. Implementation of this strategy would “vastly improve the cost-effective use of TNFi,” conclude Dr….
Investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital recently discovered a novel subset of peripheral helper T cells (TPH) that drive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) inflammation. Originally published in the February issue of Nature, findings from this study provided bedrock knowledge for developing new RA therapies. Now, with funding from the Rheumatology Research Foundation, investigators are expanding on…
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis need a way to manage their fatigue outside of the standard treatment regime, says Patti Katz, PhD. “We found that increasing physical activity [by using a pedometer] did indeed make a difference in peoples’ fatigue level. … And it doesn’t make them hurt more.”…
(Reuters)—U.S. drugmaker AbbVie Inc said on Wednesday late-stage data showed its rheumatoid arthritis drug performed better than a placebo in reducing symptoms in moderate-to-severe patients who have not adequately responded to standard treatments. Two doses of the drug, upadacitinib, induced a statistically significant reduction in symptoms compared to a placebo in the 12-week long study,…
A recent study examined the level of anti-drug antibodies (ADAs) in RA patients taking the TNF inhibitors adalimumab, infliximab and etanercept. Study patients without ADAs experienced better clinical outcomes, while patients with detectable ADAs had significantly lower serum trough drug concentrations…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Adding prednisone to methotrexate for early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) results in a lower initiation rate of a biologic, better radiographic outcomes and no steroid-related side effects, researchers in the Netherlands say. Although biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) have led to better control of RA and improved functioning and quality of life, they…
In a recent study, researchers examined the osteoclastogenic role of the histamine 4 receptor (H4R), measuring the peripheral blood and synovial fluid monocytes in patients with RA. Results showed that multiple cytokines stimulated H4R expression, suggesting the blockage of H4R may be a useful drug target to decrease the joint damage associated with RA…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Temporarily withholding methotrexate (MTX) can improve the efficacy of seasonal influenza vaccination in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a new randomized clinical trial. Response was strongest in patients who discontinued MTX for two weeks before and two weeks after receiving the flu shot, Dr. Eun Bong Lee of Seoul National…
Sirukumab Promising for RA Sirukumab, an investigational human monoclonal antibody that selectively binds to the interleukin (IL) 6 cytokine, has completed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, Phase 3 clinical trial (SIRROUND-T) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).1 During the trial, which took place between July 25, 2012, and Jan. 12, 2016, researchers randomized adult patients…