The alarming statistics on prescription opioid overdoses are well known to medical professionals, thanks to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s widely cited finding that deaths from opioid analgesics have increased fourfold since 1999.1 Half of all fatal drug overdoses now involve opioids prescribed by a doctor. Meanwhile, a lack of rigorous research…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Eruptive keatoacanthomas and extensive panniculitus are among the dermatological conditions associated with the anticancer agent pembrolizumab, researchers say. Pembrolizumab, a humanized IgG4 PD-1 (programmed cell death-1) antagonist antibody, is an immune checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) approved in the U.S. for treating advanced melanoma, non-small-cell lung cancer and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma….
The FDA has declined to approve baricitinib to treat rheumatoid arthritis, citing the need for more data on dosing and safety…
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—U.S. Supreme Court justices on Wednesday struggled over whether to speed up the time it takes to bring to the market copycat versions of biologic drugs, expensive medicines that can generate billions of dollars in sales for drug makers. The nine justices heard arguments in an appeal by Novartis AG of a lower court…
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Speaking at the 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in a session titled ARHP: Immunology Boot Camp I: Basis of Targeted Therapy, a rheumatologist and immunology expert gave a guided tour of the immune system, described what can go wrong with it and outlined what physicians can do when it does. Troy Torgerson, MD, PhD, associate…
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a heterogeneous disease associated with multiple acute or chronic cutaneous manifestations, including the relatively rare category of bullous lupus. The development of vesiculo-bullous lesions may be associated with a high morbidity, hence they warrant an urgent investigation, including a skin biopsy to identify the diagnosis and initiate prompt treatment. With…
Brodalumab Approved for Plaque Psoriasis The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved brodalumab, a monoclonal antibody that targets interleukin 17 (IL‑17).1,2 Brodalumab (Siliq) was approved for treating moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy and have failed to respond to, or have lost response to, other…
As clinicians, we are familiar with pain, stiffness and soreness—subjective nouns that define our métier. These helpful words serve as signposts that direct us along the path to the proper diagnosis. Consider the young man with a stiff, sore back (a case of ankylosing spondylitis?) or the postpartum woman experiencing newly painful, stiff and sore…
In a clinical trial, RA patients on sirukumab experienced decreased disease activity and improved physical function…
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Successful management of pain remains a challenge for rheumatologists. Five research abstracts presented at the 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in a session titled Pain—Basic and Clinical Aspects offered new insights on pain sensitization, and the risks and effects of various pain therapies. Knee Pain After Surgery Can we predict which patients will have longer-term…