A 59-year-old woman presented to our rheumatology clinic with a six-month history of a symmetric polyarthritis. She initially experienced pain in both knees. As time progressed, she began to notice pain in her ankles, hips, shoulders, hands and feet. She experienced joint stiffness lasting for more than 30 minutes every morning. She also described worsening…
Ever wonder what role physician regulators—rheumatologists, in particular—perform at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)? “I am not sure that many practicing rheumatologists know there are clinicians who work for the FDA,” says rheumatologist Nadia Habal, MD, a medical officer in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Rheumatology Products at the FDA. “It would…
How are COVID-19 and physical distancing restrictions at work affecting rheumatology professionals? The Rheumatologist interviewed clinical pharmacist Wendy Ramey, BSPharm, RPh, CSP, to discuss how the pandemic has changed the way her staff supports rheumatologists at the University of Kentucky Specialty Pharmacy and Infusion Services, Lexington. Ms. Ramey describes how these unprecedented times affect patients,…
NEW YORK/HELSINKI (Reuters)—Amneal Pharmaceuticals could soon run out of the raw ingredients to make more of the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) that has been touted as a potential treatment for COVID-19 because Finland is keeping the drug for domestic use, according to the generic drugmaker’s chief executives. Amneal has committed to producing about 20 million…
Under the onslaught of developing information on COVID-19, one health system found a way to streamline communication using a secure tool it already had access to.
How are COVID-19 and current restrictions on physical distancing affecting rheumatologists? The Rheumatologist interviewed Karim Masri, MD, to ask how the pandemic has changed the way he and his clinic staff deliver patient care, and how these unprecedented times affect patients, staff and life outside the office. Dr. Masri is a practicing rheumatologist at Bon…
PARIS (Reuters)—Sanofi SA will be able to provide millions of doses of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for patients with the illness caused by the novel coronavirus if the old malaria drug proves successful in clinical trials, its chief executive tells Reuters on Thursday. Paul Hudson, who became CEO of the French drugmaker in September, said in an…
Rheumatic disease affects not just the body, but can also compound psychiatric disturbances, including depression, anxiety, fatigue and more, possibly making the underlying disease worse…
In partnership with rheumatology and other specialty organizations, the ACR is working against payer and employer policies that mandate specialty pharmacy acquisition of in-office treatments.
On Dec. 30, 2019, an ophthalmologist named Li Wenliang notified his colleagues about an illness that was reminiscent of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in a city in the Hubei province of China called Wuhan. As an ophthalmologist, this was not directly relevant to his practice; he merely wanted to warn colleagues that they might…