Exclusive: ACR Convergence 2024| Focus Rheums

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

Articles by Cindy Devone-Pacheco

Glucosamine Supplements Don’t Help Knee or Hip Arthritis Pain

Carolyn Crist  |  

(Reuters Health)—Oral glucosamine has no more effect than placebo on joint pain, according to a new meta-analysis. The analysis of randomized controlled trials from which data have been made public found that at both three-month and 24-month follow-up points, the supplement had no effect on either hip or knee pain from arthritis. Even sub-groups, such…

Trump Declares National Emergency on Opioid Abuse

James Oliphant  |  

BEDMINSTER, N.J. (Reuters)—U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday declared the opioid epidemic a national emergency and said his administration was drafting papers to make it official. “The opioid crisis is an emergency and I’m saying officially right now it is an emergency,” Trump told reporters in New Jersey. “We’re going to draw it up and…

Ultrasound of Salivary Glands May Have Role in Diagnosing Sjogren’s

Reuters Staff  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Ultrasonography of the major salivary glands may have a role in the diagnostic evaluation of patients with clinically suspected primary Sjogren’s syndrome, researchers from the Netherlands report. Salivary gland biopsies and anti-SSA/Ro antibodies are important for classifying patients as primary Sjogren’s syndrome (pSS). Some studies have also supported using ultrasonography of the…

Senate Reauthorizes FDA to Collect Fees from Drugmakers

Reuters Staff  |  

(Reuters)—The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed a bill allowing the Food and Drug Administration to continue collecting fees from drug companies to review new product applications. The FDA Reauthorization Act renews an existing law that expires on Sept. 30 and which provides the majority of FDA funds used to review pharmaceuticals and determine whether they…

Oversupply of Opioids after Surgery Helps Fuel Opioid Epidemic

Ronnie Cohen  |  

(Reuters Health)—More than two-thirds of surgery patients in a recent study had prescription opioids left over after they recovered from their operations, and the vast majority failed to safely store or dispose of the often misused and abused pills, researchers say. “Unused opioids that have been prescribed for pain after surgery serve as an important…

U.S. Governors Urge Trump to Make Health Insurance Payments

Reuters Staff  |  

WASHINGTON (Reuters)—Democratic and Republican U.S. governors on Wednesday urged the Trump administration, as well as Congress, to continue funding payments to health insurance companies that make Obamacare plans affordable, calling it critical to stabilizing the insurance marketplace. In a statement, governors joined insurers pressuring Republican President Donald Trump to stand down from threats to cut…

U.S. Launches Opioid Fraud and Detection Unit

Sarah N. Lynch  |  

(Reuters)—U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions unveiled on Wednesday a plan to go after doctors and pharmacies suspected of healthcare fraud by over-prescribing and unbridled distribution of addictive pain medications known as opioids. In a speech at a Columbus, Ohio, police academy, Sessions said a new Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit pilot program would also…

U.S. FDA Panel Votes Against Approval of Arthritis Drug Sirukumab

Toni Clarke  |  

(Reuters)—The benefits of Johnson and Johnson’s experimental rheumatoid arthritis drug sirukumab do not outweigh the risks, an advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration concluded on Wednesday. The panel voted 12-1 that the drug should not be approved, citing safety concerns, including an imbalance in the number of deaths in patients taking sirukumab…

As Drug Prices Drop, Generics Makers Fight Back with Deals

Carl O'Donnell  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters)—Generic drug makers are turning to mergers and acquisitions to shield themselves against a concerted effort by U.S. regulators to crack down on steep drug prices. Impax Laboratories Inc, Perrigo Company Plc and Alvogen Inc have been talking to advisers about strategic options for their generics businesses, ranging from acquisitions to increase scale…

U.S. Senate Mulls Bare-Bones Healthcare Bill; Marathon of Voting Expected

Yasmeen Abutaleb and Susan Cornwell  |  

WASHINGTON (Reuters)—U.S. Senate Republicans embarked on Thursday on another push to unravel Obamacare, working on a stripped-down bill after failing to pass broader legislation and complete a seven-year campaign to gut a law that extended health coverage to millions. Republicans leaders hope a so-called skinny bill can draw enough votes to pass despite unified Democratic…