The ACR/CHEST ILD Guidelines in Practice: Register Now for This Informative Webinar

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

Drug Updates

Subcategories:AnalgesicsBiologics/DMARDs

AstraZeneca Lupus Drug Fails to Meet Main Goal in Study

Reuters Staff  |  

(Reuters)—AstraZeneca’s experimental drug anifrolumab failed to meet its main target in a late-stage clinical study treating patients with moderate to severe lupus, the British drugmaker said on Friday. AstraZeneca said the drug did not meet the main goal in the final-stage of one of the two clinical trials under the TULIP program, failing to show…

Investigators Assess Infection Risk with RA Biologics

  |  

Due to a range of factors, determining the precise infection risk posed by new biologic therapies to RA patients is difficult. But progress has been made and health registries may be helpful, said Olivier Lortholary, MD, PhD, during the 2018 EULAR: Annual European Congress of Rheumatology…

Oklahoma Medicaid Tests New Tactic to Curb U.S. Drug Costs

Deena Beasley  |  

LOS ANGELES (Reuters)—A new front in the battle over the cost of expensive medicines in the United States is opening up in Oklahoma, the first state where the government’s Medicaid program is negotiating contracts for prescription drugs based on how well they work. In June, Oklahoma received approval from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and…

Study Says 1 Biosimilar Switch Is OK; Jury Still Out on Multiple Switches

  |  

AMSTERDAM—As more biosimilar drugs for rheumatic diseases make their way to market, evidence is growing that switching from the originator drug to a biosimilar tends to be effective, while the questions of switching back and forth, and switching multiple times using several different biosimilars, remain to be answered, an expert on the topic said at…

Atacicept Shows Promise in Lupus Treatment Trials

  |  

A new biologic agent for treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) being tested in clinical trials is showing promise as a safe and effective new treatment, particularly in patients with more severe disease or serologically active disease. Recently published results of a study that examined the safety and efficacy of atacicept for SLE showed the…

Adalimumab Appears Safe for Treating Pediatric Patients with Autoimmune Disease

Reuters Staff  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Adalimumab appears to be safe for treating pediatric patients with polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA), psoriasis and Crohn’s disease (CD), according to data from company-sponsored clinical trials. Adalimumab is an anti-tumor necrosis factor monoclonal antibody with demonstrated efficacy in these conditions, but pediatric safety data remains limited. Dr. Gerd…

Pfizer-Lilly Pain Drug Meets Late-Stage Trial Goals

Manas Mishra  |  

(Reuters)—An experimental osteoarthritis drug developed by Pfizer Inc and Eli Lilly and Co achieved its main goal of lowering pain in a late stage trial, the companies said on Wednesday, potentially offering a safer alternative to opioids. Opioid abuse has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and drugmakers have been looking for less addictive…