Search results for: Biologics

Arthritis May Be Worse in Poor Countries, but Seem Worse in Rich Ones

Janice Neumann | September 6, 2015

(Reuters Health)—A study of people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) finds that those in wealthy nations are more troubled by it, even though people in poor countries have more severe symptoms. The results, tallied from 17 countries, suggest that cultural factors may influence patients’ perception of their illness, and possibly even the results of clinical trials…

Use Behavioral ‘Nudging’ to Tackle Gender, Health Challenges

Joseph D'Urso | September 4, 2015

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation)—Many of the world’s biggest challenges, such as encouraging people to buy life-saving drugs or unpicking deeply rooted sexism, can be tackled by using subtle psychological cues to change the way people behave, according to experts in London. Behavioral economics, also known as “nudging,” is about making people more likely to make…

Novartis Launches First U.S. Biosimilar Drug at 15% Discount

Ben Hirschler & Michael Shields | September 4, 2015

LONDON/ZURICH (Reuters)—Novartis kicked off a new era in U.S. medicine on Thursday with the launch of the first biosimilar copy of a biotechnology drug approved in the U.S., at a discount of 15% to the original. The Swiss drugmaker’s generics unit Sandoz said Zarxio, its form of Amgen’s white blood cell-boosting product Neupogen (filgrastim), would…

FDA Warns of Severe Joint Pain Risk with DPP-4 Diabetes Drugs

Reuters Staff | August 31, 2015

(Reuters)—A class of diabetes drugs that include Merck & Co Inc.’s Januvia has been linked with severe joint pain, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday. The FDA said it had identified 33 cases of severe joint pain in patients taking a class of drugs known as DPP-4 inhibitors between Oct. 16, 2006,…

Early, Aggressive Therapy for RA May Result in Cost Savings Long Term

Lara C. Pullen, PhD | August 31, 2015

By considering the long-term damage from early, aggressive rheumatoid arthritis, researchers in the UK were able to develop a model demonstrating the long-term cost effectiveness of more aggressive combination therapies v. short-term treatments…

FDA Proposes Adding Suffixes to Distinguish Biosimilar Drug Names

Toni Clarke | August 28, 2015

WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed on Thursday identifying cheaper versions of biologic drugs with a suffix to distinguish them from their more expensive, branded counterparts. The FDA said its draft guidance is designed to prevent the inadvertent substitution of non-interchangeable products and to make it easier to monitor and track usage once…

Ustekinumab Found to Be Effective in Adolescents with Psoriasis

Rob Goodier | August 27, 2015

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Adolescents with moderate to severe psoriasis may respond to the human monoclonal antibody ustekinumab as well as adults, with no unexpected side effects, a new study found. The findings are exciting in part because patients in this age group have limited treatment options, the study’s lead author Dr. Ian Landells, of Memorial…

Create a Physician Website that Conveys Authority, Expertise

Karen Appold | August 18, 2015

A website provides visitors with a first glimpse of your practice. “Whether you like it or not, people will learn about you and judge you based on your website,” says David Borenstein, MD, MACR, MACP, rheumatologist and partner, Arthritis and Rheumatism Associates, and clinical professor of medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, The George…

Similar RA Outcomes with Abatacept & Tocilizumab

Will Boggs, MD | August 17, 2015

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Clinical outcomes of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are similar with abatacept and tocilizumab treatment, but the factors that predict efficacy differ for the two agents. “The recommendations for RA treatment from the U.S. and EU describe the use of abatacept and tocilizumab as first-line biologics along with anti-TNF (anti-tumor necrosis factor) inhibitors,” Dr….