Results from a clinical trial support the efficacy of vobarilizumab for treating RA. Plus, the UK will recommend the use of certolizumab pegol to treat severe cases of RA in upcoming guidelines…


Results from a clinical trial support the efficacy of vobarilizumab for treating RA. Plus, the UK will recommend the use of certolizumab pegol to treat severe cases of RA in upcoming guidelines…

The FDA is strengthening its warning that canagliflozin and dapagliflozin may increase the risk for acute kidney injury in some patients. Also, the FDA has issued a warning that patients should not exceed recommended doses of loperamide due to increased risks of serious cardiac events…
Caroline Humer & Carl O'Donnell |
NEW YORK (Reuters)—U.S. antitrust officials on Thursday moved to block an unprecedented consolidation of the national health insurance market, filing suit against Anthem Inc.’s proposed purchase of Cigna Corp. and Aetna Inc.’s planned acquisition of Humana Inc. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) says the two mergers would reduce competition, raise prices for consumers and…

n clinical trials, tildrakizumab was more effective than etanercept and placebo at treating moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Adalimumab has received approval for treating non-infectious intermediate, posterior and panuveitis—its 10th FDA indication…

A recent study of patients with psoriatic arthritis and cutaneous psoriasis found that these patients do not have a higher risk of worse outcomes after total hip arthroplasty compared with patients with osteoarthritis…

In July, the FDA’s Arthritis Advisory Committee will meet and review proposed biosimilars for etanercept and adalimumab to treat multiple rheumatic diseases…

Donah Zack Crawford, MA, Jill Johnson, MD, Neal K. Moskowitz, MD, PhD, & James Udell, MD |
Ethical issues that arise in the average rheumatology practice and in clinical research are often straightforward. The AMA Code of Medical Ethics and the Office Practice and Procedures Manual offer useful information.1 In research, the Protocol and Investigators Agreement spells out who you can enroll and how the trial must be conducted. But still—even when…

Joerg Ermann, MD |
The mechanistic link between human leukocyte antigen B27 (HLA-B27) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is one of the great enigmas in rheumatology. The introduction of biological therapies that target tumor necrosis factor (TNF) or the interleukin (IL) 23/IL-17A axis has had a major impact on the quality of life for many patients with AS, and one…

FDA Restricts Fluoroquinolone Use The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has twice previously communicated safety information about systemic fluoroquinolones—in August 2013 and July 2008. The safety issues of this medication class described in its latest Drug Safety Communication were also discussed at a November 2015 FDA Advisory Committee meeting.1 The FDA is now advising…

HSS Holds First Rheumatology Gala The Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City hosted a Rheumatology Gala in May. The event, held at The Park Avenue Armory in Manhattan, was held to increase awareness of HSS’s leading research and treatment of rheumatic diseases—particularly with “high-net worth people,” according to former ACR President Mary…