LONDON (Reuters)—European drugmakers, faced with increasing competition from cut-price copies of complex biotech drugs, cautioned doctors on Thursday to take care when switching patients from an established product to biosimilar version. The complex nature of biological medicines, which are made inside living cells, means copies can never be exactly the same as the original. But…
FDA Update: FX006 Promising for Knee OA; Pioglitazone Linked to Bladder Cancer Risk; & HIV Drug Gets New Labeling
The makers of FX006, a steroid injection for treating pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis, have submitted a new drug application to the FDA…
Researchers Calculate Comorbidity Burden for Patients with SLE
A recent study from the U.K. calculated the incidence of comorbidity associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), specifically looking for cardiovascular disease, stroke, end-stage renal failure, cancer, osteoporosis and infection. Even after adjusting for age, sex and other variables, investigators found that people with SLE have an increased global burden of comorbidity compared with the general population. Additionally, the study found that men with SLE had higher rates of cardiovascular disease, stroke and cancer, while women with SLE had higher rates of infection and osteoporosis. Overall, younger people with SLE had the greatest relative risk compared with controls…
Immunotherapy Largely Untested in Patients with Autoimmune Disease
(Reuters Health)—The safety and effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy is largely unknown in patients with autoimmune diseases, researchers say—and that might account for up to a quarter of individuals with lung cancer. Patients with autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis or psoriasis, have been mostly excluded from clinical trials testing immunotherapies over fears that…
From the Expert: Insight into the Intersection of Cancer & Autoimmunity
Research by Dr. Anthony Rosen, MD, and colleagues found a link between cancer and scleroderma, suggesting the immune system may edit cancer cells. In an interview with The Rheumatologist, Dr. Rosen explores the meaning of this finding and its potential…
Small Increased Risk for CIN & Cervical CA with TNF Inhibitors
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…
Novartis Signs $170 Million Immuno-Oncology Pact with Surface
ZURICH (Reuters)—Novartis AG has struck a $170 million alliance with U.S.-based Surface Oncology as it seeks to boost its portfolio of medicines that help the body’s immune system fight cancer. The accord, which it announced on Monday, gives Novartis access to four pre-clinical programs aiming to help prevent tumors from evading the immune system, including…
Does Methotrexate Increase Skin Cancer Risk?
A recent study connects the use of immunosuppressant and biologic agents to an increased risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer in patients being treated for RA and IBD…
Methotrexate Increases Risk of Recurrent Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Methotrexate appears to increase the risk of recurrent nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a retrospective study. “We have known for some time that several of the immunosuppressive agents used to treat RA and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are also associated with an increased risk of…
FOCIS 2015: TET Protein Regulation May Provide Insights for Cancer Treatment
A presentation given during FOCIS 2015, the 15th annual meeting of the Federation of Clinical Immunity Societies in June 2015 in San Diego, focused on advances in stem cell research related to treatment of cancer and the function that particular enzymes play in disease. Anjana Rao, PhD, professor at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy…