A 2019 update of the ACR’s previous clinical practice guideline on axial spondyloarthritis is now available online. Lead investigator Michael Ward, MD, shares advice for implementing the guideline updates, including those related to sequencing and tapering biologics, and knowing when to obtain images.
During the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting, the new Meet the Professor Workshops and sessions will feature hands-on training on state-of-the-art topics…
Despite the presence of a highly effective vaccine, measles (rubeola) is still an important problem worldwide, one that has reemerged in some areas of the world where it had previously been almost eradicated. Rheumatology patients may have questions about whether they are sufficiently protected. Here we discuss key considerations for rheumatologists in light of recent…
(Reuters)—A U.S. judge on Friday upheld two patents relating to Amgen Inc,’s blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug Enbrel (etanercept), denying a challenge by Novartis AG, which is seeking to launch a biosimilar version. The decision was a relief to investors concerned about a competitive threat to Enbrel, which had U.S. sales of $4.8 billion last year….
Corrections to reimbursement system errors with Aetna and a Medicare contractor demonstrate the latest wins for all providers by the ACR’s Insurance Subcommittee. But the committee remains hard at work advocating for rheumatologists on several fronts.
Adding certolizumab pegol to background medication is better than adding a placebo for patients with active nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis, according to a new study…
SAN FRANCISCO—The 13th International Congress on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), held April 5–8, highlighted continuing advances in the fight against lupus, a chronic, inflammatory, autoimmune disease affecting multiple organ systems. The rheumatologist’s ability to control this incurable and life-threatening condition is limited both by its heterogeneous presentation and by the lack of successful treatment options,…
A study comparing seven biologic DMARDs in RA patients aged 65 years and older found abatacept had the highest retention rate and the lowest discontinuation rate…
In August 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it would permit Medicare Advantage plans to use step therapy for Part B drugs, with a lookback period of just 108 days.1 On May 16, 2019, however, the CMS issued a final rule that extends the lookback period for Part B therapies to 365…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Monotherapy with the JAK1-selective inhibitor upadacitinib is effective in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis who have an inadequate response to methotrexate, according to results from the SELECT-MONOTHERAPY phase 3 trial. As many as two-thirds of patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving methotrexate monotherapy fail to achieve satisfactory disease control. Oral therapy with upadacitinib…