Although research regarding the increased cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has burgeoned in recent years, the need remains for a better understanding of the effects of widely used DMARDs on CV risk and risk factors in RA patients. These authors set out to evaluate the long-term changes in cholesterol levels in patients with early RA. Decreases in RA disease activity over long-term follow-up were associated with increases in cholesterol levels in patients with early RA treated with either biologic or nonbiologic therapies…
Rheumatology Drug Updates: Biosimilars Seek Regulatory Approval in the U.S., Europe; Methotrexate Underused
Biosimilars Receive Positive News On Nov. 19, 2015, the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommended granting marketing authorization for SB4, an etanercept biosimilar product that will be called Benepali.1 If approved, Benepali can be used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), axial spondyloarthritis and plaque psoriasis….
Tofacitinib Decreases Inflammation in Early RA
A recent study used MRI to show that tofacitinib reduces inflammation and inhibition of the progression of structural damage in adults with early RA…
Tocilizumab Plus Methotrexate Faster Fix in Some with RA
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—In rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with an inadequate response to methotrexate, adding tocilizumab to the regimen is more effective than simply switching to tocilizumab, according to Japanese researchers. Dr. Tsutomu Takeuchi told Reuters Health by email that the approach “more rapidly suppressed inflammation than tocilizumab switched from methotrexate, leading to superior clinical…
Biosimilars Seek Regulatory Approval in the U.S. & Europe; Plus MTX Underused in the U.S.
In Europe, an etanercept biosimilar is getting closer to being approved to treat RA and more, and in the U.S., an application for an adalimumab biosimilar has been submitted for FDA approval. Also, an analysis of methotrexate use in the U.S. shows that therapy may actually be underused for RA…
Methotrexate for Ulcerative Colitis Yields Mixed Results
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Parenteral methotrexate was no better than placebo for achieving steroid-free remission of ulcerative colitis (UC) in the METEOR trial. But the drug should not be abandoned in all UC patients, researchers say. “Although METEOR failed to reach its primary endpoint, an important secondary endpoint was met. Our study suggests that methotrexate should…
Biologic DMARDs Prove Effective for Psoriatic Arthritis & Combination DMARDs Show Promise for RA
In clinical trials, ixekizumab and adalimumab proved safe and effective in treating adults with active psoriatic arthritis. Also, the combination therapy of certolizumab pegol plus methotrexate was more effective than placebo for treating severe RA…
Dr. Michael Weinblatt Discusses Current & Future RA Therapies
According to former ACR President Michael Weinblatt, MD, the future of drug therapies for patients with RA rests in the careful and intelligent prescription of current medications and treatment combinations, as well as better patient access through lower costs…
Researchers Find Rheumatologists Are Prescribing Methotrexate Less Often to Treat RA
An analysis by former ACR President James O’Dell, MD, and colleagues shows that rheumatologists may be moving too quickly from methotrexate therapy to biologics when treating patients with RA…
Does Methotrexate Increase Skin Cancer Risk?
A recent study connects the use of immunosuppressant and biologic agents to an increased risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer in patients being treated for RA and IBD…
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