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

Drug Updates

Subcategories:AnalgesicsBiologics/DMARDs

Obama Nominee to Lead FDA Defends Drug Industry Ties

Toni Clarke  |  

(Reuters)—President Barack Obama’s nominee to head the U.S. Food and Drug Administration defended his ties to the pharmaceutical industry on Tuesday during a Senate committee hearing that included questions on soaring drug prices. Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders was among the Democrats who grilled Dr. Robert Califf (64), who joined the FDA in January as a…

WHO Warns of Widespread Misunderstanding of Superbug Threat

Kate Kelland  |  

LONDON (Reuters)—People across the world are confused about the major threat to public health posed by drug-resistant superbugs and do not know how to stop that risk growing, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. Ramping up its fight against antibiotic resistance with a survey of public awareness, the United Nations health agency said…

Rheumatology Drug Updates on Brentuximab Vedotin, Tofacitinib Citrate

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Brentuximab Vedotin Enters Phase 2 Trials Brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris), an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) directed at CD30, is currently entering Phase 2 clinical trials for treating systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).1 The ADC encompasses an anti-CD30 monoclonal antibody, which is attached by a protease-cleavable linker to a microtubule-disrupting agent, known as monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE). The ADC…

U.S. Drug Benefit Managers Clamp Down on Specialty Pharmacies

Caroline Humer & Deena Beasley  |  

NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES (Reuters)—In recent days, the largest U.S. managers of private prescription drug benefits have cut off at least eight pharmacies that work closely with drugmakers, intensifying scrutiny of a system that helps inflate drug prices, officials at the benefit managers told Reuters. The terminations come from payers who together manage drug benefits for…

Higher Tocilizumab Dose Plus Methotrexate Best for Early RA

Reuters Staff  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Tocilizumab improves remission rates and slows disease progression in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a new randomized controlled trial demonstrates. Tocilizumab was effective both on its own and when combined with methotrexate, Dr. Gerd R. Burmester of Charite Medical University of Berlin and his colleagues found. Tocilizumab, an interleukin-6 (IL-6) blocker,…

Zimmer Wins First U.S. Trial over NexGen Flex Knee Devices

Jessica Dye  |  

(Reuters)—Indiana-based medical device manufacturer Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc. on Friday was cleared of liability in the first of more than 900 U.S. lawsuits to go to trial over claims that its NexGen Flex knee replacements were prone to painful, motion-impairing loosening. Following a three-week trial in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of…

Methotrexate Increases Risk of Recurrent Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer

Will Boggs, MD  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Methotrexate appears to increase the risk of recurrent nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a retrospective study. “We have known for some time that several of the immunosuppressive agents used to treat RA and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are also associated with an increased risk of…