When I started my rheumatology practice 40 years ago, it quickly became apparent that many referrals of presumed polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) patients and presumed giant cell arteritis (GCA) patients were the recipients of devastating side effects from long-term corticosteroid (CS) use that could not be discontinued due to prompt recurrence of inflammatory phenomena. It was…
LONDON—Josef Smolen, MD, chair of rheumatology at the University of Vienna and former president of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR), expressed a “personal disappointment” in the development of useful biomarkers in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Even though a good portion of his life’s work has been researching biomarkers to help with targeting…
LONDON—From optimizing responses to methotrexate, to the efficacy of biologics, to the need for imaging in assessing remission, the literature, as ever, has been lively with explorations of pressing topics in the treatment and management of rheumatoid arthritis. Josef Smolen, MD, chair of rheumatology at the Medical University of Vienna, reviewed many of the highlights…
LONDON—The availability of a biosimilar form of infliximab has dramatically increased the number of Norwegians taking one form or another of the drug, an expert on biosimilars said in a debate-style session at the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR 2016). The expanded uptake of Remicade (infliximab) and its biosimilar, Remsima (international…
SAN FRANCISCO—Lung involvement is a frequent and often life-threatening manifestation of the connective tissue diseases (CTDs) that are commonly encountered by rheumatologists. A variety of rheumatic diseases can affect the lungs, including systemic sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, vasculitis, lupus, polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM) and Sjögren’s syndrome. A panel presentation on lung disease associated with rheumatic diseases at the…
A study that found distinct sexual dimorphism in the immunologic profiles of patients with ankylosing spondylosis (AS) suggests that sex is an important variable to address in future research and may eventually lead to more effective sex-specific therapy for patients with the disease. The research, published in the March 2016 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatology,…
For people in whom symptoms of Lyme disease persist beyond the standard course of two to four weeks of antibiotic therapy, longer term antibiotic treatment provides no additional benefits beyond the shorter term course. This is the conclusion of a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine that builds on a number…
This is the first clinical trial of an IL-6–targeted therapy in PsA. Clazakizumab may be an effective treatment option for musculoskeletal aspects of PsA, but because of the lack of a dose response in this study, further studies are required to confirm the appropriate dose. The safety profile is consistent with the pharmacology of IL-6 blockade and prior clinical experience with this antibody in rheumatoid arthritis…
Pegloticase is a new alternative therapy for patients with severe, refractory gout unresponsive to other urate-lowering agents. The goal of this therapy is to reduce disease burden, tophi size and frequency of flares and to improve quality of life when other treatments have failed. Persistent lowering of plasma uric acid (PUA) to less than 6…
When uric acid becomes elevated in the human body, a variety of problems can develop, most notably gout—a painful, inflammatory arthritis caused by uric acid crystal deposition in joints. Chronically elevated uric acid can also lead to painful kidney stones. The majority of patients found to have hyperuricemia, however, never go on to develop gout…