SAN DIEGO—Panelists at ACR Convergence 2023 debate the merits of IL-6 inhibitors vs. glucocorticoids for the initial treatment of giant cell arteritis (GCA) and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR).
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What You Need to Know About COVID-19 & Therapies for Rheumatic Diseases
PHILADELPHIA—Since March 2020, the world has been turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic. Rheumatologists must understand how to best protect and treat their patients with autoimmune conditions at risk for infection due to immunosuppressive therapy. At ACR Convergence 2022, the session titled, Latest COVID and Rheumatic Disease Therapies: What You Need to Know, provided…
New Findings for Polymyalgia Rheumatica & Osteoarthritis
The Plenary III Session reviewed the results of the SAPHYR trial of sarilumab in PMR patients, as well as the WE-CAN study on the impact of a community-level diet & exercise program on knee pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Never Too Late: Late-Breaking Abstracts Create Excitement
EULAR 2022 (VIRTUAL)—The pace of scientific progress in research medicine is incredible and seems to only accelerate with time. Thus, the 2022 Congress of the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) session on late-breaking abstracts fittingly captured the excitement and timeliness of a number of research projects that have just recently been completed and…
Conservation of Drugs: The Impact of Acute Immunomodulator Prescribing for COVID-19 on Rheumatology Patients
In its COVID-19 treatment guidelines, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) lists several drugs commonly prescribed for patients with rheumatic conditions as potential therapies in those who are hospitalized for COVID-19 and require high-flow oxygen, noninvasive ventilation, intermittent ventilation (IMV) or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), as of Aug. 25, 2021, and current as this is…
FDA Provides 2020 Rheumatology Drug Update
Three FDA representatives discuss new drug indications, safety precautions and label changes, & an emergency program to rapidly evaluate existing immunomodulating therapies for use in COVID-19 patients.
Tocilizumab Fails to Help COVID-19 Patients in Italian Study
(Reuters)—Roche’s rheumatoid arthritis drug Actemra (tocilizumab) failed to help patients with early-stage COVID-19 pneumonia in an Italian study, the latest instance in which an anti-inflammatory drug has fallen through in a coronavirus trial. Despite the setback, the Swiss drugmaker said that it is pressing ahead with testing tocilizumab in another trial against COVID-19, the disease…
Rheumatology in a COVID & Post-COVID World
Jane’s* hands and wrists had been swollen and painful for about eight weeks. Lab findings in the ambulatory consult that came to our office revealed a cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody count >250 u/mL. We all know where this story goes, including how important the early treatment window is. Our clinic reviews all consults and tries…
Pharmacy Team Combats COVID-19 in NYC: Q&A with Mark J. Sinnett, PharmD, FASHP
The outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is disrupting patient care all over the world. In the U.S., many providers have had to adapt to new social distancing measures to care for patients, but struggles remain. Mark J. Sinnett, PharmD, FASHP, director of clinical and educational pharmacy services and director of the Center for Pharmacotherapy Research…
The COVID-19 Pandemic: What You Should Know
Two rheumatologists offer advice on patient management during the COVID-19 pandemic.