We are now a year-and-a-half into the COVID‑19 pandemic, and rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals are still facing some of the same challenges that began in spring 2020, as well as new ones. Most recently, we learned that COVID‑19 vaccine efficacy is reduced in some patients on immunosuppressive therapies and the need for additional immunization is…
The European Commission approved tofacitinib citrate to treat two pediatric conditions, as well as a prolonged-release version of the medication designed to treat adults with active PsA.
Ronald Frank Olejko (71)—who many ACR/ARP members knew as the man who managed the smooth planning and execution of the ACR’s annual meeting for more than 40 years—passed away on Sunday, Sept. 5, after a long battle with bladder and kidney cancer. He died peacefully at home with friends and loved ones by his side….
In June, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for tocilizumab (Actemra) for treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 adults and children who are receiving systemic corticosteroids and supplemental oxygen. Since this announcement, the tocilizumab manufacturer, Genentech, has not been able to produce enough product to meet the higher demand. The…
Data from a single-center registry shines light on 20 years of trends in first-line, biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug prescriptions for patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Everyone wants to be accepted and feel like they belong. These are innately human traits, and they don’t go away when we leave the grade school playground, high school cafeteria or university quad. We want to feel safe and accepted at work, too, and that feeling is important to professional success and effectiveness. From a…
PRSYM—At the 2021 Pediatric Rheumatology Symposium (PRSYM), a session on lupus provided a robust discussion of recent advances in lupus treatments and genetic discoveries in pediatric rheumatology. Lupus Nephritis The first speaker was Shaun Jackson, MD, PhD, a pediatric nephrologist and rheumatologist and associate professor at Seattle Children’s. His presentation focused on state-of-the-art treatments in…
William “Bill” R. Palmer, MD, MACR, passed away on Aug. 5, 2021, from highly aggressive, metastatic thyroid carcinoma. He was surrounded by his loving family. Continuing a lifelong pattern, he was courageous, dignified and loving through his last moments. I first met Bill on July 1, 1974—my first day of my medical internship at Albany…
At a recent ACR town hall, panelists described immune responses and side effects of COVID-19 vaccination in patients with rheumatic disease, along with ways to leverage monoclonal antibody treatments, especially in light of virus variants.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—A significant proportion of children with rheumatic diseases develop new-onset hypogammaglobulinemia and infections following treatment with the monoclonal antibody rituximab, according to new U.S. research. “Increased risk appeared to be mediated, at least in part, by exposure to pulse dose corticosteroids,” write Marc Natter, MD, of Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s…