The FDA has accepted applications for three new indications for bimekizumab-bkzx, a humanized interleukin (IL) 17A and IL-17F antagonist: psoriatic arthritis, non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.
The ACR will lead five other specialty societies on a resolution supporting pediatric specialty care and will co-lead resolutions addressing Medicare Advantage Part B drug coverage, white bagging mandates, state prescription drug affordability boards and impacts of alternative funding programs on access to care.
Don’t reinvent the wheel. The ACR Committee on Rheumatologic Care offers members an updated slate of template letters to help appeal insurance denials for common off-label rheumatology treatments.
Frailty & Prefrailty in Patients with RA TNF-α inhibitors associated with higher infection risk By Namrata Singh, MD, MSCI, Katherine D. Wysham, MD, James S. Andrews, MD, & Una E. Makris, MD Why was this study done? Frailty and prefrailty are more common and occur at a younger age in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)…
Difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is defined as the failure of two or more classes of biologic or targeted synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) to control active or progressive disease in patients with RA. Between 5 and 20% of patients with RA have difficult-to-treat RA.
The Insurance Subcommittee is working to address coverage and reimbursement challenges facing rheumatology practices, including issues related to biosimilar use, in-office treatments and the new G2211 code.
Checking blood levels of commonly used disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) has gained widespread attention in the rheumatology community, even resulting in a recent guidance document from EULAR for biologics.1 Although a highly useful tool, drug level measurement in rheumatology is not without challenges; many of our drugs violate the basic principles of pharmacology that we…
In January, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration approved indomethacin in an oral suspension, a generic version of Indocin Oral Suspension. The agency also issued a boxed warning and updated label for denosumab, warning of the risks of severe hypocalcemia in patients with chronic kidney disease.
A Shift in Prescribing Patterns Safety issues prompt discontinuation of tofacitinib By Stephanie Song, MD, & Joshua F. Baker, MD, MSCE Why was this study done? The ORAL Surveillance study highlighted risks of cardiac events, thromboembolism (VTE) and malignancy associated with use of Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi). We sought to determine the impact of safety…