For 12 months, two studies examined the use of lesinurad in combination with allopurinol to treat gout, with patients achieving reduced serum uric acid levels and demonstrating no severe toxicity.
(Reuters)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is strengthening an existing warning label that non-aspirin, non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) increase the risk of heart attack or stroke. NSAIDs include ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac and celecoxib, all of which carry FDA warning labels. The agency said it would require updates to the labels of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC)…
In a win for the ACR and rheumatologists, for one year after the mandatory ICD-10 implementation on Oct. 1, 2015, CMS will not deny claims on the basis of incorrect ICD-10 sub-codes.
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The White House said on Wednesday it was open to working with Congress on a bill that would invest in disease research and would be paid for with sales of oil from U.S. emergency reserves. The House of Representatives is considering a bipartisan bill that would increase funding for the U.S. National Institutes of…
In a Phase 2 study, researchers found that rontalizumab was a more effective treatment in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus who had an interferon signature metric score lower than 1.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Dose optimization of infliximab is needed much earlier in ulcerative colitis than in Crohn’s disease, a single-center retrospective study reveals. “We compared the rates of dose increases over a fairly lengthy period of time,” said Dr. Mark Silverberg, the study’s senior author from the Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. “Patients with ulcerative…
A recent British study concluded that determining a rheumatoid arthritis patient’s personal beliefs about medication could aid rheumatologists in regularly addressing medication adherence during visits.
(Reuters Health)—Middle-aged and older adults with torn cartilage or painful arthritis in their knee are not likely to benefit from arthroscopic surgery, and could be harmed by it, a review of past studies hints. Researchers reviewed nine previous studies with a combined 1,270 patients and found the surgery no better than other options like exercise…
LONDON/MUMBAI (Reuters)—Another Indian clinical research organization, Quest Life Sciences of Chennai, is in trouble over defective trials work, according to a warning issued by the World Health Organization. The action by the United Nations health agency follows an earlier scandal over drug testing at GVK Biosciences, which resulted in approvals for hundreds of generic drugs…
At the 2015 meeting of the European League Against Rheumatism in June, multiple studies were presented comparing the use of different biosimilar and biologic drugs in treating rheumatoid arthritis…