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…
When Abby Paterson, PhD, started her doctoral work in product design and technology at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom in 2009, she says 3D printing was little known by clinicians or the general public. Now, the technology is seemingly everywhere. For Dr. Paterson, the advancing science has led to a promising project focused on…
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is rarely associated with renal manifestations, but secondary amyloidosis due to chronic inflammation is reported to be the etiology of renal dysfunction in many cases of RA.1,2 The discovery of biologic therapy, with TNF-alpha inhibitors in particular, made a huge difference in the disease course and prognosis of RA patients. However, TNF-alpha…
Etanercept Submitted for Chronic, Severe Plaque Psoriasis in Children The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the supplemental Biologics License Application for etanercept (Enbrel) for treating pediatric patients with chronic, severe plaque psoriasis.1 The application was submitted in early January 2016 and is based on results of a one-year Phase 3 study with…
In a clinical trial, patients with osteoarthritis taking low-dose SoluMatrix meloxicam used less rescue medication to manage pain. Also, the FDA has issued a new warning against using oral ketoconazole off label to treat onychomycosis and fungal skin infections…
A recent editorial in Arthritis & Rheumatology explored the role of sensitization, not nociception, as a key mechanism of pain for patients with knee OA, as well as inflammation’s role in pain perception. Recent research of synovitis and joint effusion supports the idea that early prevention or treatment of sensitization may be paramount to reducing long-term pain in patients with knee OA…
Recent clinical trials have evaluated the efficacy of GSK3196165, a monoclonal antibody, and fasinumab, a nerve growth factor antibody, in treating patients with osteoarthritis and pain…
A 55-year-old female patient returns for her second infliximab infusion. Her temperature is 98°F, her height is 5’6″ and her weight is 151 lbs. She received 210 mg infliximab via infusion. The patient arrived at the clinic at 8:15 a.m. and left at 10:55 a.m. Can this encounter be coded correctly? Yes No A 38-year-old…
Take the challenge. B—No. Although the documentation states the patient arrived at the clinic at 8:15 a.m. and left the clinic at 10:55 a.m., it does not document the actual start and stop times of the infusion. According to CPT, when reporting codes for which infusion time is a factor, use the actual time over…
April 5, 2016, marks a revolutionary day in the treatment of autoimmune diseases: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an infliximab (Remicade) biosimilar, known as Inflectra (infliximab-dyyb). Infliximab-dyyb, which is administered by intravenous infusion, is the first biosimilar drug approved to treat rheumatic disease in the U.S.1 Infliximab-dyyb has received approval for almost…