The SELECT-EARLY MTX-controlled trial examined the safety and efficacy of upadacitinib, a potent, reversible jakinib, as monotherapy in patients with moderately to highly active RA and poor prognostic features who are either naive for or have limited exposure to methotrexate.
LONDON (Reuters)—Oxford University said on Wednesday it will study whether the prescription medicine, adalimumab (Humira), is an effective treatment for COVID-19 patients—the latest effort to repurpose existing drugs as potential coronavirus therapies. Adalimumab, which is sold by AbbVie, is a type of anti-inflammatory known as an anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drug. Recent studies have shown…
In August, Abbvie submitted a new drug application for upadacitinib to treat ankylosing spondylitis. And in September, the FDA approved an oral solution of tramadol hydrochloride for pain.
A 2019 study demonstrated the benefit of a newer drug class, PCSK9 inhibitors, to help lower cholesterol in patients with statin-associated immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy…
(Reuters Health)—Intravenous belimumab combined with standard lupus therapy can help preserve kidney function in patients with active lupus nephritis and cut the odds of death or a renal-related event by half, a phase 3 multinational study has concluded.1 After two years of therapy, 43% of 224 volunteers getting the drug monthly showed a renal response…
This summer, the FDA rejected a new drug application for filgotinib to treat RA in the U.S., but a European Medicines Agency committee issued a positive opinion, moving filgotinib closer to authorized use in the E.U.
(Reuters Health)—Only 19 U.S. states mandate that pharmacists fill prescriptions for brand-name small molecule drugs with generics when available, with the 31 remaining states allowing but not requiring these substitutions, a new study finds. Researchers examined laws on the books as of September 2019 pertaining to generic substitution of small molecule drugs, as well as…
RA patients experience a higher rate of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events than controls. In a new study, Karpouzas et al. determined that current biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug use is associated with reduced long-term CVD risk, protective calcification of noncalcified lesions and a lower likelihood of new plaque formation in patients with early atherosclerosis.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Using bisphosphonates for several years is associated with increasing brittleness and decreasing toughness of bone, according to a new review. “Long-term treatment with bisphosphonates can have negative side effects in some people because of their effects on bone toughness [toughness = the energy that bone tissue can absorb before cracking],” David B….
In a comparison study, subcutaneous mirikizumab proved superior to subcutaneous in achieving skin clearance in patients with plaque psoriasis…