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

Transfer of Certolizumab in Breast Milk Not a Concern

Reuters Staff  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—There is minimal to no transfer of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor certolizumab (Cimzia) from plasma to breast milk, according to a new study. “These findings are reassuring” and imply that continuing certolizumab treatment is compatible with breastfeeding, Dr. Megan Clowse of Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina,…

TNF Inhibitor Tied to Lower Cardiovascular Risk in Psoriasis

Lorraine L. Janeczko  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Psoriasis patients treated with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) inhibitors may have a lower risk of major cardiovascular (CV) events than those treated with methotrexate (MTX), according to a new study. “The findings do not surprise me. TNF inhibitors control inflammation better than methotrexate,” lead author Dr. Jashin J. Wu of Kaiser Permanente…

Update on Legislation, Notification Rules Concerning the Substitution of Interchangeable Biologic Drugs

  |  

Although the FDA has not yet awarded the title of interchangeable to any biosimilar, legislation that governs their substitution will continue to be a dominant state issue in 2017. Since 2013, 24 states and Puerto Rico have passed legislation regarding interchangeable biologics. As many as 15 states will have biosimilar-related legislation introduced by coalitions in…

Music May Help Reduce Pain

Kathryn Doyle  |  

(Reuters Health)—As a complement to traditional pain relief tools, such as medication, listening to music may lessen acute or chronic pain related to cancer and other conditions, according to a new review. “We have seen and observed this effect in multiple clinical settings, such as medical hospitals and hospice-care facilities,” says author Dr. Jin Hyung…

U.S. Could File Charges in Generic Drug Probe by Year-End

Reuters Staff  |  

(Reuters)—U.S. prosecutors could file the first charges in their criminal investigation of generic drugmakers over suspected price collusion by the end of the year, Bloomberg reports. The antitrust investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) spans more than a dozen companies and about two dozen drugs, Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the matter….