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Articles by Natasha Yetman

GlaxoSmithKline’s Shingles Vaccine Gets Approval in Canada

Reuters Staff  |  

(Reuters)—Canadian health regulators have approved GlaxoSmithKline’s shingles vaccine, the company said on Friday.1 Shingrix, the British pharma company’s shingles vaccine for people aged 50 years or older, was unanimously recommended for approval by a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel last week. Older people are most at risk of an outbreak of shingles,…

U.S. States Plan Suit to Block Trump Obamacare Subsidies Cut

Yasmeen Abutaleb & Dan Levine  |  

WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters)—On Friday, California, New York and others states vowed to sue President Donald Trump’s administration to stop him from scrapping a key component of Obamacare, subsidies to insurers that help millions of low-income people pay medical expenses, even as Trump invited Democratic leaders to negotiate a deal. One day after his administration announced…

After Medical Errors, Patients Want Doctors to Hear Them Out

Lisa Rapaport  |  

(Reuters Health)—When medical errors lead to serious injuries, patients and families may feel better when doctors take the time to listen to their feelings about the mistake and explain what can be done to prevent it from happening again, a small study suggests. The research team interviewed 27 patients, three family members and 10 staff…

Flexion’s Knee Pain Drug Gets FDA Approval

Divya Grover  |  

(Reuters)—Flexion Therapeutics Inc. said its injectable drug to treat osteoarthritis-related knee pain was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The approval comes at a time when U.S. federal authorities are implementing a slew of measures to combat opioid abuse, with President Donald Trump in August declaring the opioid epidemic a national emergency. The…

Herpes Zoster & Tofacitinib

Arthritis & Rheumatology  |  

Shingles, also known as herpes zoster (HZ), is a common and sometimes debilitating disease that disproportionately affects elderly individuals and those who are immunocompromised. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have a 1.5–2-fold higher risk of developing HZ compared with healthy adults. Treatment with some disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) has been shown to increase this risk….

From the Front Lines: Managing RA Comorbidities in Primary Care

Arthritis Care & Research  |  

How are comorbidities for RA patients managed outside of rheumatology? A recent Canadian study developed and assessed quality measures related to preventive care and screenings for RA patients in a primary care setting, comparing RA and non-RA patients. The results: Primary care physicians often provide similar levels of care to patients with and without RA. But RA patients were less likely to receive some cancer screenings and all necessary tests to assess their cardiovascular risk…

Republican Bill to Repeal Obamacare Teeters on Edge of Collapse

Susan Cornwell & Richard Cowan  |  

WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The latest Republican effort to repeal former U.S. President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law faced possible defeat this week as several senators in the party voiced concerns about the bill under consideration. The U.S. Senate is up against a Saturday deadline for deciding the fate of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, popularly known as…

Lupus Incidence, Prevalence Differ by Race

Loraine L. Janeczko  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Racial and ethnic disparities in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) incidence and prevalence are considerable, according to two new studies of data from California and Manhattan. “The most important finding of the population-based California and New York registries is the confirmation of the racial and ethnic disparities of SLE, with the highest incidence…

State Funding Changes in Spotlight in U.S. Republican Healthcare Bill

Susan Heavey & Yasmeen Abutaleb  |  

WASHINGTON (Reuters)—Republican leaders sought to nail down the final votes needed to pass what U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday called their “last best chance” to repeal Obamacare while a new analysis underscored how Democratic-leaning states stand to lose large amounts of federal funding under the legislation. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) plans…

Advances in Education for Rheumatology Health Professionals: A Review & an Opportunity

Courtesy of the ARHP Practice Committee  |  

Educational opportunities for health professionals are expanding. At this year’s Annual Meeting, don’t miss a historic joint session from the ARHP and the Canada-based Arthritis Health Professions Association about the advances in and effects of these educational opportunities on rheumatology…