Exclusive: ACR Convergence 2024| Focus Rheums

An official publication of the ACR and the ARP serving rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals

Social Media May Help Chronically Ill Connect to Doctors, Fellow Patients

Mary Gillis  |  

(Reuters Health)—Social media groups that bring together patients, family, friends and healthcare providers can improve patients’ outlook and reduce their anxiety and depression, a recent U.S. study suggests. In a nine-month experiment with liver-transplant patients, researchers found that participants came to rely heavily on a closed Facebook group, both for information about their condition and…

Pfizer’s Second Biosimilar of J&J’s Remicade Wins U.S. FDA Approval

Tamara Mathias  |  

(Reuters)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Pfizer Inc’s second biosimilar to Johnson & Johnson’s blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug, Remicade, the company said on Wednesday. Pfizer’s Ixifi was approved for all eligible indications of Remicade, including the treatment of bowel disease Crohn’s disease and skin disorder plaque psoriasis, the drugmaker said. Biosimilars are medicines deemed…

Older Women Should Not Take Hormones to Prevent Chronic Diseases

Will Boggs MD  |  

(Reuters Health)— Postmenopausal women should not use hormone therapy to prevent chronic medical conditions, because the risk of significant side effects outweighs the unclear evidence of a benefit, according to a government-backed panel of experts. Most chronic conditions – coronary heart disease, dementia, stroke, fractures, and breast cancer, for example – are more common with…

Obamacare Sign-Ups Rise to 1 Million as Pace Picks Up Before Deadline

Reuters Staff  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters)—The number of consumers who signed up for 2018 Obamacare health insurance next year surpassed the 1 million mark in the second-to-last week of enrollment on the federally-run HealthCare.gov website, picking up the pace ahead of the December 15 deadline. Through December 9, 4.68 million consumers signed up for the insurance in the 39 states…

Vitamin D-Metabolite Ratio Predicts Fracture Risk Better than 25(OH)D

Anne Harding  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Vitamin D-metabolite ratio (VMR) may be a better marker of bone health than 25(OH)D (25-hydroxyvitamin D), a new study suggests. “The parameter that’s currently used to assess vitamin D status, 25(OH)D, is a flawed measure because it doesn’t consistently associate with important bone outcomes like hip fractures,” Dr. Charles Ginsberg of Veterans…

IV Saline Shortage Update

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Early last month we informed you about the IV saline solution shortage that was exacerbated by Hurricane Maria’s impact on Baxter’s manufacturing facility in Puerto Rico. Since then, the ACR advocacy team has been working with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in its ongoing efforts to resolve the fluid shortage. Currently, the FDA has…

CMS Finalizes Changes in CY 2018 for Musculoskeletal Ultrasound

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We previously alerted you to a CMS-proposed change that would cut reimbursement for the complete diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) significantly. We are pleased to report that, in its final rule, the CMS reversed that decision, and providers will see a reasonable reimbursement for the exam. The ACR advocated on your behalf for this change through…

Medical Lab Trade Group Sues Over U.S. Reimbursement Cuts

Nate Raymond  |  

(Reuters)—A U.S. trade association representing medical laboratories filed a lawsuit on Monday challenging a new reimbursement system used by the federal government that it said would reduce how much Medicare pays for labs by about $670 million in 2018. The American Clinical Laboratory Association (ACLA) in a lawsuit in federal court in Washington, D.C., said…

Drug Industry Group Sues to Stop California Drug Price Law

Reuters Staff  |  

(Reuters)—The trade group representing U.S. drugmakers on Friday said it has a filed a lawsuit to stop California from implementing a law aimed at reining in prescription drug prices. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), in a statement, said it filed litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California…

Opioid Painkiller Prescriptions May Run in Families

Lisa Rapaport  |  

(Reuters Health)—When one person in a household gets prescribed opioids, the other people who live with them are more likely to get their own prescriptions for these narcotic painkillers, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers examined data on about 12.6 million people living in a household where someone was prescribed opioids and 6.4 million individuals in…