WASHINGTON, D.C.—Clinical aspects of managing patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in remission were discussed by a panel of experts at the 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting during the session titled Rheumatoid Arthritis—Clinical Aspects IV: Managing Patients in Remission. Among the issues raised were strategies to taper or discontinue biologic therapies, as well as clinical predictors of…
We teach medical students, residents and fellows evidence-based medicine to lay the groundwork for rational prescribing and good clinical judgment. But should we stop our rheumatology fellows from interacting with pharmaceutical companies as part of this foundation? It is not surprising that pharmaceutical companies can influence physician prescribing through gifts. At least, it should not…
Like many people, I am up early and in the gym most days. Although I don’t seem to get anywhere new on the stationary bicycle or the elliptical machine, I do get to keep up with the pundits on the early morning talk shows. In contrast to the television series I binge on later in…
Recent research analyzed factors influencing the selection of the first-line biologic medications and the real-life factors that lead to switching from those medications to other biologics in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The study compared the use of abatacept and tocilizumab with a tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitor (TNFi).1,2 Participants were enrolled in the Lombardy Rheumatology…
In the past 15 years, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has posed an economic burden on patients in Saudi Arabia due to the high cost of the medications used to treat the condition. As a rheumatology consultant, I’ve observed the economic impact on patients in one clinic in a private hospital in Riyadh. RA is a chronic,…
(Reuters Health)—An examination of more than 100 of the largest U.S. nonprofit organizations created to improve health and fight disease has found that more than 8 in 10 get financial support from companies involved in the drug, biotechnology and medical device industry. In addition, over a third have at least one industry official on their…
Guselkumab Improves Active Psoriatic Arthritis New research has revealed that patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and ≥3% body area of plaque psoriasis benefit from treatment with a human monoclonal antibody known as guselkumab (GUS). GUS is specific for the p19 subunit of interleukin 23 (IL-23). Patients in the Phase 2 clinical trial experienced significant…
Soon, rheumatologists may have another drug to offer their patients with refractory rheumatoid arthritis (RRA) for whom effective and safe treatment remains challenging. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that patients with RRA treated with once-daily baricitinib in a 4 mg dose had a significant clinical improvement in symptoms of…
GCA Relapse Possible When Discontinuing Tocilizumab In a Phase 2 randomized, controlled trial, tocilizumab, an anti-IL-6 biologic agent, was shown to induce and maintain remission for up to 52 weeks in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA).1 During this trial, patients with GCA were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to receive 8 mg/kg bodyweight tocilizumab…
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been used therapeutically since the 1960s.1 Evidence of adverse cardiovascular outcomes led to the withdrawal of the selective COX-2 inhibitor rofecoxib in September 2004, when the question of cardiovascular safety of NSAIDs first came into the limelight.2 Valdecoxib (Bextra) was subsequently withdrawn from the market in April 2005 due to…