Exclusive: ACR Convergence 2024| Focus Rheums

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

Autoimmunity on the Rise in the U.S.

Marilynn Larkin  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The prevalence of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) in the blood of U.S. adolescents and adults has increased over the past 30 years, signaling a rise in autoimmunity, researchers say. “It is not known if these same increases are occurring in other parts of the world, but because ANA are associated with many autoimmune…

Live Herpes Zoster Vaccine Fails to Provide Long-Term Protection in RA Patients on Tofacitinib

Lisa Rapaport  |  

(Reuters Health)—The live herpes zoster vaccine does not provide reliable long-term protection in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients taking tofacitinib, a recent study suggests. Current ACR guidelines conditionally recommend that patients with RA who are 50 years and older be vaccinated against herpes zoster prior to starting therapy with the Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor tofacitinib or…

Chikungunya Virus Vaccine Shows Promise in Early Clinical Trial

Will Boggs, MD  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—A new chikungunya virus-like-particle vaccine appears to be safe and immunogenic, according to results from a phase 2 trial. “The phase 2 safety, tolerability and immunogenicity were similar to the data seen in an earlier phase 1 study,” Grace L. Chen, MD, of the National Institutes of Health Vaccine Research Center, Bethesda,…

FDA Cautions Slower Drug Review Activity Due to Staff Reallocation for COVID-19

Reuters Staff  |  

(Reuters)—On April 16, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) cautioned that with a lot of its staff allocated to the coronavirus crisis, it may not be able to sustain its current level of timely reviews and approvals of marketing applications. FDA says it was working to ensure that the drug programs continue to see…

Novartis to Test Efficacy of Old Malaria Drug Against COVID-19

John Miller  |  

ZURICH (Reuters)—Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG says it will test the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in a randomized trial to see if the much talked about medicine is actually effective against COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. The company hopes to have data on its efficacy by June, a lead researcher for the trial…

Forging New Ways to Teach in Response to COVID-19: Q&A with Anisha Dua, MD, MPH

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Unable to connect with rheumatology fellows and patients in person, Anisha Dua, MD, MPH, and a team of rheumatologists have worked quickly to find new ways to communicate and share resources. Dr. Dua directs rheumatology medical education and the fellowship training program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH), Chicago. She spoke with The Rheumatologist about how…

Finding Opportunity Through Challenge: Q&A with Vaneet K. Sandhu, MD, FACR, RhMSUS

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The COVID-19 global pandemic is forcing telemedicine-only connections with patients and bringing existing rheumatology research to a standstill. However, these challenges are spurring opportunity and innovation, according to Vaneet K. Sandhu, MD, FACR, RhMSUS, director of rheumatology clinical operations at Riverside University Health System and associate fellowship program director in rheumatology at Loma Linda University…

How to Maintain Connections with Colleagues, Staff & Patients During a Pandemic: A Q&A with Reshma Khan, MD

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As the cases of COVID-19 continue to rise in South Florida, Reshma Khan, MD, a rheumatologist at the Palm Beach Rheumatology and Wellness Center, Jupiter, Fla., is being careful to emphasize social distancing, but not social isolation. Dr. Khan believes that, during this pandemic, it’s more important than ever for rheumatologists to share support and…