ACR 2006 News

Once-Yearly Zoledronic Acid Injection Reduces Fracture Risk, Improves Bone Structure in Postmenopausal Women With Osteoporosis
November 15, 2006
Once-yearly injections of zoledronic acid 5 mg reduces fracture risk, improves bone mineral density, and improves bone structure in women with osteoporosis... Black DM, Recker RR. Presented at ACR 2006 Meeting.

FDA's Woodcock Pushes for Biomarkers as Key to New Drug Development and Improving Drug Safety
November 15, 2006
Janet Woodcock, MD, the FDA's deputy chief for operations, speaking at the American College of Rheumatology meeting, said that the 1990s era of blockbuster drugs is over, and that a fast public/private collaboration to identify biomarkers that permit drug researchers to "move beyond demographics" is needed to get new drug development moving and to improve drug safety... ACR 2006 Meeting.

Single Nucleotide Change in IL-4 Receptor Gene Predicts Rapidly Erosive RA
November 14, 2006
Presence of a specific polymorphism in the IL-4 receptor, combined with rheumatoid factor and one copy of the HLA-DR shared epitope, predicts with 90% accuracy that a specific RA patient will develop erosive disease within 2 years... Skapenko A, et al. Presented at: ACR 2006 Meeting.

PROMPT Study Shows "Window of Opportunity" in Early Undifferentiated Arthritis
November 14, 2006
Early MTX treatment can delay and possibly prevent progression to RA among anti-CCP positive patients who have early, undifferentiated arthritis... van Dongen H, et al. Presented at: ACR 2006 Meeting.

Non-Myeloablative Stem Cell Transplants Safe, Effective in Scleroderma
November 14, 2006
A pilot study of a non-myeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation regimen for patients with severe scleroderma reports 90% overall survival and 70% progression-free survival at 2 years…Barr WG, et al. Presented at: ACR 2006 Meeting.

Successful Anti-TNF Treatment Restores Regulatory T-Cell Function in RA
November 14, 2006
TNF inhibitor treatment can restore some of the lost T regulatory (suppressor) cell functioning in patients with RA, which might contribute to suppression of disease flares... Valencia X, et al. Presented at: ACR 2006 Meeting.

Biomarkers Might Be Modifiable Risk Factors for RA
November 13, 2006
Autoantibodies may lead to risk reduction strategies for preventing RA... Holers VM. Presented at ACR 2006 Meeting.

• ACR 2006 Video