In the EU, certolizumab pegol has been approved for use in pregnant and nursing women with chronic rheumatic disease…
Search results for: Cimzia
The ACR Lobbies Against New Part B Drug Cost Adjustment Rule
The ACR and a number of other physician medical associations are lobbying for an immediate legislative fix to a piece of the MACRA law that factors high-cost Part B drugs into a rheumatology practice’s Medicare reimbursement rate through the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). This change, which goes into effect immediately, will impact practices in…
Heart Safety Clouds Hopes for Amgen, UCB Bone Drug Approval
(Reuters)—Amgen Inc. and UCB SA no longer expect their experimental osteoporosis drug to win U.S. approval this year after a higher rate of serious heart-related side effects were observed in a late-stage clinical trial. The drug, romosozumab, which would be sold under the brand name Evenity if approved, is awaiting an approval decision by the…
Ohio Rheumatologists Advocate for Step Therapy Reform & More
On a chilly March morning in Lancaster, Ohio, rheumatologist Stephanie Ott, MD, shared the Ohio Association of Rheumatology’s (OAR) current advocacy efforts with ACR@Work between walking her three dogs and driving to her clinic to see patients—some of whom travel from as far away as West Virginia. “This year, we are really focusing on legislation…
Certolizumab Pegol Promising for Plaque Psoriasis in Phase 3 Trial
Certolizumab pegol has proved safe and effective for treating patients with plaque psoriasis in a Phase 3 clinical trial…
Certolizumab Pegol Usage Compatible with Breastfeeding
In a small-scale study, researchers found that no, or minimal amounts of, certolizumab pegol transfers from mothers taking the drug to nursing infants…
Transfer of Certolizumab in Breast Milk Not a Concern
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—There is minimal to no transfer of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor certolizumab (Cimzia) from plasma to breast milk, according to a new study. “These findings are reassuring” and imply that continuing certolizumab treatment is compatible with breastfeeding, Dr. Megan Clowse of Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina,…
Rheumatology Drug Updates: Ixekizumab Improves Work Productivity, plus Vobarilizumab Completes Phase 2 Trial in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Ixekizumab Improves Work Productivity in Patients with Plaque Psoriasis Indirect costs of reduced work productivity can have a significant impact on a patient’s quality of life. A recent article published in JAMA Dermatology analyzed the results of three multicenter, randomized double-blind Phase 3 trials, UNCOVER-1, UNCOVER-2 and UNCOVER-3, which evaluated the effect of ixekizumab on…
Generic TNF-Alpha Inhibitors Comparable to Established Brands
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Biosimilar tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors appear equivalent to the branded original versions, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis. As Dr. G. Caleb Alexander tells Reuters Health by email, “biologic treatments represent a rapidly growing proportion of prescription drug expenditures and thus there is enormous interest in whether or not biosimilar products…
New RA Therapy Promising in Clinical Trial
Results from a clinical trial support the efficacy of vobarilizumab for treating RA. Plus, the UK will recommend the use of certolizumab pegol to treat severe cases of RA in upcoming guidelines…