Sarilumab Is Effective for RA, Pregabalin Fails to Meet Study Endpoint & Ibuprofen Can Be Administered with a Patch

Michele B. Kaufman, PharmD, CGP, RPh, is a freelance medical writer based in New York City and a pharmacist at New York Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital.

References

Strand V, Kosinski M, Graham N, et al. Impact of sarilumab on fatigue, pain, morning stiffness, productivity and health related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis who were inadequate responders or intolerant of anti-TNF-Î± therapy: Results from a phase 3 study (RCT). Arthritis Rheumatol. 2015;67(suppl 10).
Pfizer Inc. News release: Pfizer’s Lyrica fails Phase III study in post-traumatic neuropathic pain. First Word Pharma. 2015 Nov 25.
University of Warwick. News release: Researchers create world’s first ibuprofen patch—delivering pain relief directly through skin. 2015 Dec 8.

Sarilumab is now FDA approved to treat adults with polymyalgia rheumatica who have had an inadequate response to glucocorticoids or who cannot tolerate a glucocorticoid taper. This new indication is based on results from the multicenter, phase 3 SAPHYR trial.

Biosimilars Receive Positive News On Nov. 19, 2015, the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommended granting marketing authorization for SB4, an etanercept biosimilar product that will be called Benepali.1 If approved, Benepali can be used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), axial spondyloarthritis and plaque psoriasis….

The Plenary III Session reviewed the results of the SAPHYR trial of sarilumab in PMR patients, as well as the WE-CAN study on the impact of a community-level diet & exercise program on knee pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Combining paracetamol (acetaminophen) with ibuprofen does not cut postoperative use of morphine in a clinically meaningful way relative to ibuprofen alone, in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA), results of a Danish randomized trial suggest. “Although the combined use of paracetamol and ibuprofen reduced immediate postoperative morphine consumption compared with paracetamol alone…

FDA Approves Sarilumab for the Treatment of Adults with Glucocorticoid-Resistant PMR

Rheumatology Drug Updates: Biosimilars Seek Regulatory Approval in the U.S., Europe; Methotrexate Underused

New Findings for Polymyalgia Rheumatica & Osteoarthritis

Ibuprofen an Option for Early Pain Control after Hip Replacement

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