Focus Rheums| ACR Convergence 2024 Previews

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

Verdict: Johnson & Johnson to Pay More Than $1 Billion for Defective Hip Implants

Erica Teichert  |  

(Reuters)—A federal jury in Dallas on Thursday ordered Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and its DePuy Orthopaedics unit to pay more than $1 billion to six plaintiffs who said they were injured by Pinnacle hip implants. The jurors found that the metal-on-metal Pinnacle hip implants were defectively designed and that the companies failed to warn consumers…

Senator Warns Against Simultaneous Overhaul of Medicare & Obamacare

Susan Cornwell  |  

WASHINGTON (Reuters)—A senior U.S. Senator warned his on Thursday against simultaneously overhauling Medicare and the Obamacare health insurance program, saying this would be “biting off more than you can chew.” The cautionary comments from Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) came after House Speaker Paul Ryan, long an advocate of privatizing Medicare, said Republican lawmakers would be…

Ultrasound for Underserved Patients

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Beverly Johnson, MD, has experienced exactly how rheumatologists and their patients benefit from musculoskeletal ultrasound imaging for the diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune disease…

New ARHP President Shares Her Story

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Back in 1999, Afton Hassett, PsyD, attended her first ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, after receiving the suggestion from Leonard Sigal, MD, a professor of medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at Rutgers University’s Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS). Since 2003, Dr. Sigal has served as a volunteer Clinical Professor at the school. At the time, Dr….

A Glimpse into the Life of New ACR President, Dr. Sharad Lakhanpal

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Born and raised in Lucknow, India, Sharad Lakhanpal, MBBS, MD, vividly remembers his father’s stories of traveling to the U.S. As a young boy, he grew intrigued, imagined living here and knew that someday he would narrate his own adventures about this country. As president of the ACR and a practicing rheumatologist at Rheumatology Associates…

Health Policy Resolutions from the AMA House of Delegates 2016 Interim Meeting

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This year’s interim meeting of the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates (HOD) took place Nov. 12–15, just days after the national election that, in 2017, will usher in a GOP-led Congress and presidential administration. “It was a highly interesting meeting,” says Gary Bryant, MD, FACP, associate professor of medicine and rheumatology at the University…

Effect of Diet & Sodium Intake on Serum Uric Acid

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Serum uric acid (UA) is an important factor in the causal pathway for gout. It has also been implicated as a potential risk factor and/or mediator of cardiovascular disease outcomes and mortality in a large number of observational studies. Although many of the clinical trials targeting serum UA reduction have focused on pharmacologic interventions, diet…

Teva Pharm to Market Medical Cannabis Inhaler in Israel

Reuters Staff  |  

JERUSALEM (Reuters)—Israel’s Teva Pharmaceuticals has partnered with Tel Aviv-based Syqe Medical to market in Israel medical cannabis for pain management that is administered with an inhaler. The companies said in a statement on Monday that this is the first time the medical cannabis sector has complied with pharmaceutical standards for inhalation, which is the most…

Shingles Vaccination Not at Goal Levels for U.S. Seniors

Madeline Kennedy  |  

(Reuters Health)—Just one in five people over age 60 in the U.S. have been vaccinated against a painful eruption of herpes zoster (shingles), despite recommendations that all of them should get the shot. It’s estimated that among people over age 50, one in three will eventually develop shingles. After age 80, half of adults have…