Search results for: methotrexate

Upadacitinib Monotherapy Proves Promising; Plus FDA Approves Tocilizumab Autoinjector

Michele B. Kaufman, PharmD, BCGP | December 10, 2018

In a study, RA patients taking upadactinib monotherapy experienced less pain and morning joint stiffness than methotrexate-treated patients…

Psoriatic Arthritis Patients Show Long-Term, Sustained Improvement with Secukinumab

Michele B. Kaufman, PharmD, BCGP | November 20, 2018

In a four-year study, patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) experienced sustained improvement in PsA signs and symptoms on secukinumab…

Case Report: The Hairdresser Who Couldn’t Comb Her Hair

Erin Hammett, DO, & Edward Skol, MD | November 19, 2018

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is an inflammatory rheumatic condition characterized by pain and morning stiffness at the neck, shoulders and hip girdle. It can be associated with giant cell arteritis (GCA); in fact, the two disorders may represent a continuum of the same disease process. This case describes a patient who initially refused treatment for PMR…

Can Peripheral Spondyloarthritis Be Reversed?

Ruth Jessen Hickman, MD | November 18, 2018

Currently, treatment options for patients with peripheral spondyloarthritis, which includes psoriatic arthritis and non-psoriatic types, are limited. Philippe Carron, MD, Department of Rheumatology, Ghent University Hospital, Belgium, says, “One of the problems we encounter in the daily management of peripheral spondyloarthritis is that we have no other therapeutic options in patients refractory to NSAIDs [non-steroidal…

FDA Approves Subcutaneous Tocilizumab for Ages 2–17

Michele B. Kaufman, PharmD, BCGP | October 29, 2018

The FDA has approved subcutaneous tocilizumab for treating active systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis in pediatric patients as young as 2 years old…

Uveitis: Know the Risk Factors, Symptoms & Treatment Options

Carina Stanton | October 22, 2018

Inflammatory diseases can cause uveitis. Early detection and treatment are essential, but when uveitis goes undetected it can cause blindness. Here’s how to protect your patients…

8 Ways to Help Your Patients with Medication Costs

Vanessa Caceres | October 18, 2018

A patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) comes to your office and needs a medication. You prescribe it, and the patient’s insurance plan covers it. The patient begins the medication and slowly but surely feels better. Prescribing drugs for a patient should be this simple but rarely is, thanks to the high cost of drugs and…

Rheumatology in China from Its Beginning to Today

Xiaofeng Zeng, MD, & Qingping Yao, MD, PhD | October 18, 2018

Rheumatology in China is a relatively young discipline, but it has developed exponentially over the past three decades. In this article, we review the history of rheumatology in China and advances in clinical care, research and education in this field. The Founding Father Naizheng Zhang, MD, is widely regarded as the father of rheumatology in…

Study Suggests Tocilizumab Monotherapy May Work for Some RA Patients

Mary Beth Nierengarten | October 18, 2018

For patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who respond to subcutaneous tocilizumab, discontinuing methotrexate may be an option and offer an alternative to patients who cannot tolerate or prefer not to take methotrexate. “This is one of the first studies showing that methotrexate may be discontinued in a cohort of patients with a biologic agent without…

Study Shows Synovial Biopsy May Soon Lead to Precision Medicine

Mary Beth Nierengarten | October 18, 2018

A confluence of advances in knowledge and technology is closing in on the day when therapies for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may be specifically targeted to the precise variant and stage of disease. “Precision medicine is in the future, and not the distant future but more in the immediate future,” says Harris R. Perlman,…