On May 6, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Arthritis Advisory Committee narrowly voted in support of avacopan, a C5a receptor inhibitor, for the treatment of adult patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated vasculitis. Although the panelists were excited about the possibility of a steroid-sparing therapy, some raised questions about whether results from…
JIA can manifest in a variety of ways. Experts discuss the implications of uveitis, systemic disease and lung involvement in sJIA.
Vision loss, implications of treatment and more—Sarah Mackie, BMBCh, PhD, MRCP, discussed the latest research on the evaluation and management of giant cell arteritis.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Rituximab seemed to be a safe and effective treatment for systemic sclerosis (SSc) in a placebo-controlled validation trial in Japan.1 “A number of studies have examined B-cell depletion therapy for systemic sclerosis, and many of them have suggested that [this] is effective in treating systemic sclerosis,” Ayumi Yoshizaki, MD, tells Reuters Health…
The ACR, in concert with the Vasculitis Foundation, released three new vasculitis guidelines online first in July, with a fourth slated for publication by the end of the year. These are the first ever to be produced and endorsed by the ACR and the Vasculitis Foundation. Although most of the recommendations are conditional, due to…
A recent study of data from the FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System reveals that 14 drugs commonly prescribed by rheumatologists are on the list of the top 50 drugs that can cause anaphylaxis.
In the late-breaking abstract session at ACR Convergence 2020, drug research for a variety of indications is reviewed.
Tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors (TNFi’s) have emerged as an integral part of therapeutic strategies for several rheumatic diseases. TNF-α is a pro-inflammatory cytokine implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), seronegative spondyloarthropathies and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It also plays a central role in the immune response to mycobacterial infection. Many biologic agents, particularly…
It is an exciting time in the world of vasculitis research. More clinical studies and trials are being conducted now than at any time in history. In the past ten years, four drugs have been approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory agencies specifically for the treatment of vasculitis: Rituximab…
Three FDA representatives discuss new drug indications, safety precautions and label changes, & an emergency program to rapidly evaluate existing immunomodulating therapies for use in COVID-19 patients.