The FDA has fast-tracked the development of a drug to treat systemic sclerosis, or scleroderma; initial clinical trials started in June. Also, a major hospital group in France has selected the biosimilar infliximab to treat its patients with RA, Crohn’s disease and psoriasis…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—High school students with chronic medical conditions who drink alcohol are more likely than their nondrinking peers to forget or skip taking their medications, according to an online survey. “I was surprised to see such a clear association between alcohol use and medication nonadherence—a finding which really brings home the need to…
Despite new therapeutics, progress for RA patients has virtually stalled over the past 10 years. In this article, the authors discuss many options to advance to a cure and the evidence for them, including the combination of low-dose methotrexate and anti-TNF; targeting angiogenesis and tissue damage pathways directly; antigen-specific therapy; potential combination of TNF and IL17 blockade; and targeting inhibitory receptors and regulatory T cells.
(Reuters)—A class of diabetes drugs that include Merck & Co Inc.’s Januvia has been linked with severe joint pain, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday. The FDA said it had identified 33 cases of severe joint pain in patients taking a class of drugs known as DPP-4 inhibitors between Oct. 16, 2006,…
By considering the long-term damage from early, aggressive rheumatoid arthritis, researchers in the UK were able to develop a model demonstrating the long-term cost effectiveness of more aggressive combination therapies v. short-term treatments…
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed on Thursday identifying cheaper versions of biologic drugs with a suffix to distinguish them from their more expensive, branded counterparts. The FDA said its draft guidance is designed to prevent the inadvertent substitution of non-interchangeable products and to make it easier to monitor and track usage once…
LONDON (Reuters)—People around the world are living longer, but many are also living sicker lives for longer, according to a study of all major diseases and injuries in 188 countries. General health has improved worldwide, thanks to significant progress against infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, in the past decade and gains in fighting…
New legislation has the potential to streamline the audit process for Medicare and Medicaid, taking a burden off small rheumatology practices…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Adolescents with moderate to severe psoriasis may respond to the human monoclonal antibody ustekinumab as well as adults, with no unexpected side effects, a new study found. The findings are exciting in part because patients in this age group have limited treatment options, the study’s lead author Dr. Ian Landells, of Memorial…
(Reuters)—Two business lobbying groups this week called on the Consumer Financial Protection Board to investigate the medical funding industry after a Reuters investigation revealed that private investors are funding operations for women who have sued makers of surgical implants. The American Tort Reform Association and DRI-The Voice of the Defense Bar told Reuters on Tuesday…