The FDA has designated upadacitinib a breakthrough therapy to treat adults with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis…
Abatacept Plus Prednisone Therapy Studied for Treating Giant Cell Arteritis
A recent study, conducted by the Vasculitis Clinical Research Consortium and funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), examined whether the addition of abatacept, a drug that affects T cell activation, to standard prednisone treatment could reduce the risk of relapse in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA).1 Although…
Rheumatology Drug Updates: Opana ER Painkiller Pulled from U.S. Market; Upadacitinib to Treat RA, and More
Opana ER Pulled from U.S. Market Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asked Endo Pharmaceuticals to remove oxymorphone hydrochloride extended release (Opana ER) from the U.S. market due to public health consequences related to abuse. The agency has concerns that the risks presented by the treatment do not outweigh its benefits.1 On…
Abatacept Approved for Adult PsA
The FDA has approved abatacept to treat adults with active psoriatic arthritis. In clinical trials, the treatment has proved effective in both intravenous and subcutaneous forms…
FDA Requests Removal of Opana ER; Plus Abatacept’s New Dosing Option
The FDA has asked the manufactures of Opana ER to remove the opioid from the U.S. market due to the public health risk of abuse…
Experimental Drug Combination Curbs Chikungunya Arthritis in Mice
Doctors have had few options to treat the chronic rheumatoid arthritis-like symptoms associated with chikungunya virus infections beyond over-the-counter pain relievers. A recent study in Science Translational Medicine has spurred new optimism by finding that a combination therapy—the anti-rheumatic drug abatacept paired with a chikungunya-neutralizing monoclonal antibody—abolished acute symptoms in infected mice.1 The strategy must…
Physician’s Choice: Factors That Influence First- & Second-Line Biologic Therapy in RA Patients
In patients with RA, age and higher rates of comorbidity are influential in selecting and changing treatments…
Similar RA Outcomes with Abatacept & Tocilizumab
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Clinical outcomes of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are similar with abatacept and tocilizumab treatment, but the factors that predict efficacy differ for the two agents. “The recommendations for RA treatment from the U.S. and EU describe the use of abatacept and tocilizumab as first-line biologics along with anti-TNF (anti-tumor necrosis factor) inhibitors,” Dr….
Case Report: Rheumatoid Arthritis and Degenerative Disk Disease
Combination therapy includes abatacept for patient with erosive, chronic RA, underlying osteoarthritis and degenerative disk disease
Coding Corner Question
May’s Coding Challenge