Search results for: hospital

Many Patients Discontinue Tofacitinib by Year 1; Fasinumab Promising for Pain

Michele B. Kaufman, PharmD, BCGP | November 2, 2016

A recent analysis found that about 10% of RA patients taking tofacitinib do not follow recommended guidelines and more than half stop treatment by one year…

ACR Opposes DXA Reimbursement Cuts

Kelly Tyrrell | October 31, 2016

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) plans to significantly reduce reimbursement for dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA),—used to measure bone density, diagnose osteoporosis and help prevent fractures—performed as a hospital outpatient service in the 2017 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS). If finalized, by 2023 it will cut payment for the DXA testing by 37%….

Tocilizumab Designated as Breakthrough Therapy for GCA

Michele B. Kaufman, PharmD, BCGP | October 26, 2016

To speed the development of tocilizumab to treat giant cell arteritis (GCA), the FDA designated it as a breakthrough therapy earlier this month…

15 Years of Clinician Educators & Scholars in Rheumatology

Arthritis Care & Research | October 25, 2016

Since 1999, 60 rheumatologists have received the Clinician Scholar Educator Award from the Rheumatology Research Foundation. These clinician educators have benefitted professionally from the award and have also dedicated themselves to the advancement of education. Most spend at least 30% of their time engaged in education, and awardees provide curriculum widely used in rheumatology fellowship programs…

Denosumab Linked to Rebound-Associated Fractures in Nine Patients

Reuters Staff | October 21, 2016

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Patients can develop rebound-associated vertebral fractures after stopping denosumab, a new report of nine cases shows. All of the patients were considered to be at low risk of fracture, and the fractures occurred within nine to 16 months of their last injection, Dr. Olivier Lamy and colleagues from Lausanne University Hospital in Switzerland…

Proton Pump Inhibitor Use May Be Linked to Bone Mineral Density

Michele B. Kaufman, PharmD, BCGP | October 19, 2016

The use of proton pump inhibitors may lead to changes in bone mineral density and an increased risk of developing osteoporosis…

Clinical Trial of Ixekizumab for Psoriatic Arthritis Shows Positive Results

Michele B. Kaufman, PharmD, BCGP | October 12, 2016

A study found that ixekizumab decreases disease activity and increases physical function in biologic-naive patients with active psoriatic arthritis…

Mechanistic, Epidemiologic Clues Suggest Possible Link Between Obesity, Inflammation in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Kurt Ullman | October 11, 2016

Obesity has an established systemic inflammatory component. Could that be a trigger for the inflammation seen in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other rheumatic diseases? Although there is no direct scientific evidence, both mechanistic and epidemiologic clues do give some intriguing suggestions of a possible link. “At first, we thought that fat was involved only in…

Targeted Therapy for Scleroderma Fibrosis

Sara R. Schoenfeld, MD, & Flavia V. Castelino, MD | October 11, 2016

Scleroderma, or systemic sclerosis (SSc), is an autoimmune disease characterized by vasculopathy and fibrosis. Although relatively rare, with a prevalence in North America of approximately 300 per 1 million people, SSc is associated with significant morbidity and high rates of mortality.1 Patients with scleroderma have four times greater mortality than age- and sex-matched controls, with…

State-of-the-Art Course on Interprofessional Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Maura Iversen | October 11, 2016

During an interactive, case-based course at the 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, participants will develop strategies to help patients manage unique barriers to access to care and adherence…