As a veteran rheumatologist, I remember the clinical trials of etanercept’s (Enbrel’s) efficacy. And when the drug was first approved in 1998, I participated in those clinical trials and realized the effectiveness was astonishing. It was easy to tell which patients were treated with etanercept vs. those who received placebo, even though both groups were…
Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) can cause fibroinflammatory lesions in nearly any organ, and diagnosis is challenging. ACR/EULAR classification criteria for IgG4-RD have been developed and validated in a large cohort of patients. These criteria have performed well in tests and should contribute substantially to future clinical, epidemiologic and basic science investigations.
The idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) encompass eight categories: 1) dermatomyositis (DM) in adults, 2) juvenile dermatomyositis, 3) amyopathic DM, 4) cancer-associated DM, 5) polymyositis, 6) immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy, 7) inclusion body myositis, and 8) overlap myositis.1 These categories help classify the myopathies based on clinical and histologic features. The incidence of IIM is estimated at…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The osteoporosis drug denosumab is associated with a higher incidence of serious infections compared with placebo, but the risk is similar to comparator drugs, a systematic review and meta-analysis reveals. Talia Diker-Cohen, MD, PhD, of Tel Aviv University, and colleagues searched the literature through May 2019 for randomized controlled trials of denosumab…
NEW YORK (Reuters)—Novartis AG, Merck & Co Inc. and Allergan Plc. were among companies that raised U.S. prices on more than 100 prescription medicines on Jan. 4, bringing the tally to 445 drugs that will cost more in 2020, according to data analyzed by healthcare research firm 3 Axis Advisors. That is above the average…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The risk of malignancy in patients with systemic necrotizing vasculitis varies according to the treatment received, according to an analysis of five randomized controlled trials. Previous studies reported an increased risk of malignancy in patients with systemic necrotizing vasculitis, and a more recent study from the European Vasculitis Study Group, based on…
(Reuters Health)—Male scientists are more likely than their female counterparts to use superlatives, such as first or novel, to describe their work, a new study suggests, and this disparity might contribute to other professional gender gaps, the authors say. The study team analyzed the language used in more than 6 million papers in peer-reviewed medical…
ATLANTA—Every year at its Annual Meeting, the ACR recognizes its members’ outstanding contributions to the field of rheumatology through an awards program. The ACR is proud to announce 20 award recipients for 2019, honored for their accomplishments as clinicians, instructors or researchers who have helped advance rheumatology, for their commitment to inspire others to enter…
Daniel Solomon, MD, MPH, has practiced rheumatology for more than 20 years, all while conducting translational and clinical research and teaching young clinicians. Soon, he will also step into the role of editor in chief of Arthritis & Rheumatology, as Richard J. Bucala, MD, PhD, ends his tenure. He will assume some duties during a…
The patient medical history is far more prominent in clinical decisions for rheumatology than for many common chronic diseases in which a gold standard biomarker, such as blood pressure or serum glucose, is applicable to diagnosis and management of all individual patients.1 Components of a subjective patient history may be recorded as structured, quantitative, standard,…