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

Drug Updates

Subcategories:AnalgesicsBiologics/DMARDs

Trump Administration to Appeal Ruling Blocking Price Disclosure for Drug Ads

Carl O'Donnell  |  

(Reuters)—The Trump administration is appealing a court ruling that struck down its plan to compel pharmaceutical companies to disclose wholesale prices of their drugs in televisions advertisements. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) filed a notice of appeal on Wednesday, as it prepares to challenge the July federal court ruling. “If the…

FDA Approves AbbVie’s New Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug

Reuters Staff  |  

(Reuters)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday approved AbbVie Inc.’s new treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a win for the drugmaker seeking to widen its portfolio as its blockbuster flagship therapy Humira (adalimumab)‎‎ faces competition. The drug, Rinvoq (upadacitinib), is a JAK inhibitor. It is set to compete with Pfizer Inc.’s Xeljanz (tofacitinib)…

Rheumatology Drugs at a Glance, Part 3: Rheumatoid Arthritis

Mary Choy, PharmD, BCGP, FASHP  |  

Over the past few years, bio­similars and other new drugs have been introduced to treat rheumatic illnesses. Some of the conditions we treat have numerous drug options, others have few or only off-label options. This series, “Rheumatology Drugs at a Glance,” provides streamlined information on the administration of biologic, biosimilar and small molecule inhibitor drugs…

Amgen Wins U.S. Patent Battle on Arthritis Drug Enbrel

Deena Beasley  |  

(Reuters)—A U.S. judge on Friday upheld two patents relating to Amgen Inc,’s blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug Enbrel (etanercept), denying a challenge by Novartis AG, which is seeking to launch a biosimilar version. The decision was a relief to investors concerned about a competitive threat to Enbrel, which had U.S. sales of $4.8 billion last year….

Drug Assistance Programs Offer Little Charity to Uninsured

Lisa Rapaport  |  

(Reuters Health)—Many patients who receive assistance from charities set up to defray prescription drugs costs may already have insurance that covers most the cost for their medications, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers examined data on the six largest independent charities offering patient assistance programs through 274 different disease-specific programs. These programs had total revenue ranging…