Exclusive: ACR Convergence 2024| Focus Rheums

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

Drug Updates

Subcategories:AnalgesicsBiologics/DMARDs

Prenatal TNF Inhibitor Exposure Not Linked to Serious Infections

Anne Harding  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Children of women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who are exposed to tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors (TNFis) in the womb are not at markedly increased risk of serious infections, new findings suggest. “It’s reassuring for mothers who need to take these medications during pregnancy,” Evelyne Vinet, MD, of McGill University Health Center in…

Guselkumab May Best Adalimumab for Psoriasis on the Scalp, Palms & Soles

Marilynn Larkin  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The interleukin 23 inhibitor guselkumab is associated with more improvement in psoriasis on the scalp, palms and/or soles compared with adalimumab, a new analysis suggests. Andrew Blauvelt, MD, MBA, of Oregon Medical Research Center in Portland conducted a secondary analysis of data from the international VOYAGE 1 and VOYAGE 2 studies, double-blind,…

FDA to Review Abuse-Deterrent Oxycodone Capsule

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FDA to Review Abuse-Deterrent Oxycodone Capsule In June, the FDA will discuss the New Drug Application for Remoxy ER at an Advisory Committee meeting. Remoxy ER is a 12-hour, abuse-deterrent, extended-release oxycodone in a capsule formulation.1 The capsule contains a sticky, thick, high-viscosity formulation to deter unapproved drug administration routes, including injection, smoking or snorting….

Neutrophil Extracellular Traps & Their Role in Autoimmunity

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Certain medications have been associated for decades with the development of drug-induced autoimmunity. New research published in March 2018 in Arthritis & Rheumatology suggests that NETs (neutro­phil extracellular traps) are potentially implicated in the mechanisms that lead to drug-induced autoimmunity.1 Peter Grayson, MD, MSc, head of the Vasculitis Translational Research Program at the National Institute…

Study Assesses Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Safety in Rheumatic Disease

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Since they were first introduced in 2011, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have become an important treatment for an expanding list of advanced cancers. Some concerns have been raised around the mechanism of action of these immunotherapy agents, making their use in rheumatic diseases (RD) problematical. An article in the March 2018 issue of Arthritis &…

Opioid Refusals: How to Deal with the Angry or Hostile Patient

Ashley Noisette Green, MD  |  

In July 2017, Todd A. Graham, MD, a practicing orthopedic surgeon in South Bend, Ind., was fatally shot after getting into a heated dispute with a patient and her husband over a requested opioid prescription.1 The murder of Dr. Graham is a tragic example of the potential dangers of physician-patient disagreements. Rheumatology patients often endure…

Researchers Test Belimumab in Scleroderma

Catherine Kolonko  |  

A yearlong pilot study that evaluated the safety and efficacy of belimumab in a small group of patients with early diffuse systemic sclerosis found no significant difference in the number of adverse events between those treated with the drug and those who received a placebo. Currently, no drugs are approved specifically for the treatment of…

Romosozumab Has Biggest BMD Benefit in First Year of Treatment

Anne Harding  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Romosozumab shows smaller benefits for increasing bone mineral density (BMD) in the second year of treatment compared to the first, new research suggests. The extension of a phase 2 study in postmenopausal women with low bone mass also found BMD decreased sharply when patients on romosozumab were switched to placebo after two…