Due to a lawsuit, the FDA has issued only tentative approval for an extended-release oxycodone capsule. Obinutuzumab is in clinical trials for lupus nephritis, and subcutaneous belimumab is being tested for SLE…


Due to a lawsuit, the FDA has issued only tentative approval for an extended-release oxycodone capsule. Obinutuzumab is in clinical trials for lupus nephritis, and subcutaneous belimumab is being tested for SLE…

Steven S. Overman, MD, MPH • illustrations by Alice C. Gray |
I am a few weeks post-retirement. Having written thank you notes and completed urgent home projects, I swing in a hammock at our currently fire-threatened cabin north of Winthrop, Wash., and reflect. I feel like a young boy while freely flipping pages of a hand-scribed picture book, The Principles of Uncertainty, by Maira Kalman. She…

Rituximab was evaluated and found safe as a long-term RA therapy. Also, FDA Advisory Committees voted on oxycodone therapies at a joint meeting.

Every day, rheumatology patients live with the realities of having a chronic disease that requires a lifetime of treatment. This knowledge can be an emotional burden, and some people deal with it better than others. Emerging research is showing that those patients who exhibit emotional control are better able to cope and ultimately experience a…

Charles Radis, DO |
What struck me first as I walked by the exam room where Lynn P. sat was the swelling in her fingers and wrists. The bloated hands rested unnaturally on her thighs, palms up, fingers slightly flexed. Her strawberry-blond curls were offset by a high-neck, loose-fitting, burgundy sweater. Her pale skin matched her trim slacks. She had…

About a year ago, I stuffed all my earthly belongings into my black Volkswagen Jetta and set out on a 10-hour interstate journey. I had just graduated from residency at the University of Kentucky and was headed westward, to Iowa City, for a fresh start as a rheumatology fellow. During the 10 hours I spent…

The ICD-10 page on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) website features a countdown clock that shows the time left until Oct. 1, 2015, the date on which compliance with the new code set becomes mandatory. By the time this issue goes to press, the clock will read 90 or fewer days. Time…

CHICAGO—With the approval of the Jak inhibitors (i.e., jakinibs) tofacitinib and ruxolitinib—and others being investigated—rheumatologists need to arm themselves with an understanding of these drugs so they can think critically when evaluating them and deciding how to use them, said John O’Shea, MD, chief of the Molecular Immunology and Inflammation Branch of and scientific director…

Linda Childers |
Chronic insomnia is a common complaint for patients with rheumatic diseases and conditions. In fact, sleep disturbances are among the most common symptoms of both fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with more than 50% of chronic pain patients reporting sleep disturbances. Pain combined with insomnia can lead to a vicious cycle, says Ruth Gentry, PhD,…

Questions, concerns and spirited debate have surrounded the Graduate Medical Education (GME) system for decades. The program that trains nearly 120,000 physicians per year is under constant scrutiny.1 Changes to the political landscape, combined with ongoing efforts by health industry payers and regulators to squeeze inefficiency out of the system, have kept the GME in…