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

Articles by Natasha Yetman

U.S. FDA Declines to Approve Eli Lilly & Incyte Arthritis Drug

Reuters Staff  |  

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday declined to approve a new drug for rheumatoid arthritis made by Eli Lilly and Co and partner Incyte Corp, the companies said on Friday. The FDA indicated that additional clinical data was needed to determine the most appropriate doses of the drug, baricitinib…

Trump Administration Issues Final Rule on Stricter Obamacare Enrollment

Yasmeen Abutaleb  |  

WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The Trump administration on Thursday issued a final rule that will shorten the Obamacare enrollment period and give insurers more of what they say they need in the individual insurance market, likely making it harder for some consumers to purchase insurance, healthcare experts say. It could also raise out-of-pocket medical expenses, the experts say,…

Spinal Manipulation Might Help Ease Acute Low Back Pain

Lisa Rapaport  |  

(Reuters Health)—Spinal manipulation may work as well for easing lower back pain as anti-inflammatory medications, a research review concludes. Based on data from 15 previously conducted trials involving a total of 1,711 adults, the study team found that spinal manipulation achieved meaningful reductions in pain and improvements in function after six weeks of treatment. The…

Insufficient Evidence Regarding Osteoporosis Medications in Kidney Patients

Will Boggs, MD  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—There are insufficient data to make evidence-based decisions regarding the benefits and harms of osteoporosis medications in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a systematic review and meta-analysis. “We found low to moderate evidence for the effects of some but not all of the medications, and the evidence was limited…

FDA Warns Mylan Over Quality Concerns at India Facility

Natalie Grover  |  

(Reuters)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has raised concerns over quality controls at a Mylan NV manufacturing plant in India, according to a warning letter from the agency dated April 3. India-based drug manufacturing facilities have been criticized by the FDA in recent years for violating quality standards, as the agency increases oversight of…

Corbus Pharma Outlines U.S. Approval Path for Scleroderma Drug

Natalie Grover  |  

(Reuters)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration needs Corbus Pharmaceuticals to show positive data from only one late-stage study on its experimental treatment for scleroderma to support a marketing application, the company said. Corbus said on Wednesday it expects to start the study on 270 patients in the fourth quarter and that it was in talks…

Trump Nominee to Lead FDA Probed on Ties to Pharmacy Industry

Reuters Staff  |  

(Reuters)—President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, was questioned about his ties to the pharmaceutical industry by Democrats on a key Senate committee on Wednesday ahead of a vote on whether to advance his nomination for a vote by the full Senate. Gottlieb, 44, is a former…

Recommendations for Sjögren’s Syndrome: How to Address Biologics & Musculoskeletal Pain

Arthritis Care & Research  |  

The clinical practice guidelines for managing Sjögren’s syndrome, developed by the Sjögren’s Syndrome Foundation with the ACR, were designed to improve quality and consistency of care. In total, 19 recommendations were agreed on, which include managing the rheumatic and systemic aspects of the disease. Recommendations include a decision tree for the use of DMARDs for inflammatory musculoskeletal pain, use of self-care measures and exercise to reduce fatigue, and the use of rituximab in selected clinical settings for oral and ocular dryness…

Would Legalizing Medical Marijuana Help Curb the Opioid Epidemic?

Ronnie Cohen  |  

(Reuters Health)—In states that legalized medical marijuana, U.S. hospitals failed to see a predicted influx of pot smokers, but in an unexpected twist, they treated far fewer opioid users, a new study shows. Hospitalization rates for opioid painkiller dependence and abuse dropped on average 23% in states after marijuana was permitted for medicinal purposes, the…

New Position Paper Aims to Reduce Administrative Tasks in Healthcare

Will Boggs, MD  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—A new position paper from the American College of Physicians (ACP) aims to reduce administrative tasks in health care. Reducing these tasks has been an important long-term objective of ACP, which developed the Patients before Paperwork initiative in 2015 as part of this effort. In a publication online on March 27 in…