Search results for: hospital

EU Evaluates Tocilizumab as COVID-19 Treatment

Reuters Staff | August 18, 2021

(Reuters)—Europe’s drugs regulator said on Monday it was evaluating the use of Roche’s arthritis drug, tocilizumab, in hospitalized adults with severe COVID-19, its latest review of a potential coronavirus treatment. Tocilizumab, sold by Roche as Actemra and RoActemra, has shown promise in clinical trials in treating COVID-19, and was approved by U.S. health regulators in…

ACR Update on Tocilizumab Shortages

From the College | August 17, 2021

ATLANTA—The ACR is actively engaged with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) drug shortage team as they work with the manufacturer to resolve current shortages of tocilizumab (Actemra). Demand for tocilizumab has outpaced supply, with demand increasing after the FDA’s June 24 Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for…

International Study Finds Colchicine Promising as Outpatient Treatment for COVID-19

Lara C. Pullen, PhD | August 17, 2021

One of the oldest treatment options in rheumatology, colchicine, may be an effective and inexpensive treatment to prevent complications in non-hospitalized patients with COVID-19, particularly in men, according to the results of large global study.

FDA Approves IVIG to Treat Adults with Dermatomyositis

Michele B. Kaufman, PharmD, BCGP | August 17, 2021

In July, the FDA approved the use of Octagam 10%, an intravenous immunoglobulin solution, to treat dermatomyositis in adults after an international study demonstrated the treatment’s safety and efficacy.

2 Cases of SLE-Associated Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrage

2 Cases of SLE-Associated Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage

Abhimanyu Amarnani, MD, PhD, Nicole K. Zagelbaum Ward, DO, MPH, Lauren Mathias, MD, Nathan Lim, MD, Baljeet Rai, MD, Sky Wang, MD, & William Stohl, MD, PhD | August 12, 2021

Pulmonary manifestations in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) include pleuritis, acute pneumonitis, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary arterial hypertension, shrinking lung syndrome and diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH). DAH is a rare, but devastating, complication of SLE, with high mortality rates. The incidence of DAH in SLE ranges from 0.6% to 5.4%, but the mortality rate…

FDA’s Arthritis Advisory Committee Narrowly Endorses Avacopan Approval

Ruth Jessen Hickman, MD | August 11, 2021

On May 6, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Arthritis Advisory Committee narrowly voted in support of avacopan, a C5a receptor inhibitor, for the treatment of adult patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated vasculitis. Although the panelists were excited about the possibility of a steroid-sparing therapy, some raised questions about whether results from…

Colchicine: An Ancient Drug with Modern Uses

Ibrahem Salloum, MD, & Deepan S. Dalal, MD, MPH | August 11, 2021

Discovered more than 3,000 years ago, colchicine is one of the oldest drugs still in use today. Like most old remedies, colchicine is a chemical substance found in many plants, most notably in colchicum autumnale, known as wild saffron or autumn crocus. It was mentioned in the oldest Egyptian medical text, Ebers Papyrus (circa 1550…

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring May Offer Little Benefit to Patient Remission Rates During Infliximab Induction Therapy

Lara C. Pullen, PhD | August 9, 2021

Although rheumatologists prescribe tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi’s) to treat several rheumatic diseases, they recognize immunogenicity influences the efficacy and safety of TNFi’s. Example: The formation of anti-drug antibodies can affect infusion reactions and cause low-serum drug levels and therapeutic failure. The induction phase is a period of high incidence of immunogenicity, and observational data…