An etanercept biosimilar referencing Enbrel and designed to treat multiple autoimmune diseases has been approved for the European market. Also, an application for subcutaneous brodalumab to treat plaque psoriasis has been submitted to the FDA…

An etanercept biosimilar referencing Enbrel and designed to treat multiple autoimmune diseases has been approved for the European market. Also, an application for subcutaneous brodalumab to treat plaque psoriasis has been submitted to the FDA…
Reuters Staff |
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Apremilast improves clinical outcomes in patients with psoriatic arthritis and active psoriasis, according to results from the PALACE 3 randomized controlled trial. Apremilast, a phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor, showed efficacy against psoriatic arthritis in the PALACE 1 trial. Dr. Christopher J. Edwards from University Hospital Southampton in the U.K. and colleagues evaluated…
Laura Newman |
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The newer disease-modifying drugs for rheumatoid arthritis appear to offer the same or even better cardiovascular (CV) protection than older tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, hints a large study. “We really haven’t had a good understanding on where the non-TNF biologics and CV risk stand,” Dr. Jeffrey R. Curtis of the University…
Three clinical trials are evaluating subcutaneous sirukumab for safety and efficacy in treating rheumatoid arthritis. And a study found no significant difference in persistence and remission for TNF-α monotherapy when compared with TNF-α plus conventional DMARD combination therapy for treating psoriatic arthritis…
Kathryn Doyle |
(Reuters Health)—When people undergo genetic testing to find out whether they’re at risk for a specific disease, doctors often wonder how much information to give them. What if the genetic testing results reveal a risk for a disease the patient hadn’t been wondering about? Geneticists are “grappling with what to do with all the information…
Meaningful Use may be changing but it is not going away—yet. Rheumatologists must sign up with two of three registries by Feb. 29 or pay significant financial penalties for not complying with this specific part of the Meaningful Use requirements. The three choices for registries include the Immunization Registry, the Syndromic Surveillance Registry and a…
Diane Bartz |
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—Aetna Inc.’s plan to buy smaller insurer Humana Inc. for $31 billion will mean seniors will pay higher Medicare Advantage premiums, according to a new report by the think tank Center for American Progress (CAP). Aetna’s proposed deal for Humana would combine Aetna’s 7% of the Medicare Advantage market with Humana’s 19%, and make…
Caroline Humer |
(Reuters)—The U.S. government has suspended new enrollment in Cigna Corp’s Medicare Advantage health plans for seniors and standalone Medicare prescription drug plans, citing noncompliance in its appeals and grievances procedures. The government said Cigna had deficiencies in its appeals and grievances processes in both Medicare Advantage and the Medicare prescription drug program, according to a…
Laura Newman |
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at increased risk for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), and those taking a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor are at increased risk of cervical cancer, according to a study from Sweden. “Whether this (the increase in invasive cancers) was due to the TNF inhibitors, disease severity, or…
The FDA approved secukinumab (Cosentyx) this past week for the treatment of adults with active ankylosing spondylitis and active psoriatic arthritis. These two new approvals are based on the safety and efficacy outcomes from four placebo-controlled Phase 3 trials in more than 1,500 adults with AS or PsA…