Arthritis News

Wednesday, June 29, 2005 EMEA Recommends HumiraR as First Line for Moderate-to-Severe RA
Abbott Laboratories announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has recommended approval of HumiraR (adalimumab) for first-line treatment of moderate-to-severe early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Monday, June 20, 2005 Low-Dose Steroids Prevent Bone Loss in RA
Despite its established potential to cause bone loss, the anti-inflammatory effects of prednisolone slow the loss of hand bone density in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis...Haugeberg G, et al. Arch Intern Med. 2005;165:1293-1297.

Thursday, June 16, 2005 TEMPO Demonstrates Effects of TNF-α Blockade Over 3 Years
The benefits of continuous treatment with etanercept and methotrexate persist for at least 3 years, and, as more patients achieve remission, researchers' focus may turn to determining whether patients can safely discontinue TNF inhibitors...Presented at: Annual European Congress of Rheumatology of EULAR; June 8-11, 2005; Vienna, Austria.

Wednesday, June 15, 2005 Apratastat, an Experimental Dual Acting Biologic Agent Shows Early Promise for RA
A novel, oral, small-molecule dual inhibitor of TNF-α-converting enzyme and matrix metalloproteinases has been shown in early trials to target two of the factors known to cause inflammation in RA... Fleischmann R, et al. Presented at: Annual European Congress of Rheumatology of EULAR; June 8-11, 2005; Vienna, Austria.

Wednesday, June 15, 2005 Alefacept in Combination With Methotrexate Evaluated for the Treatment of Psoriatic Arthritis
A 6-month study of the memory T cell suppressor alefacept suggests that the agent will be an effective tool in the armamentarium against PsA... Presented at: Annual European Congress of Rheumatology of EULAR; June 8-11, 2005; Vienna, Austria.

Monday, June 13, 2005 EULAR Report: Developments in the Treatment of Ankylosing Spondylitis Using TNF-α Inhibitors
Studies of low-dose regimens, the effects of discontinuation, and 52-week data from an initial study of adalimumab highlight the results presented at EULAR on the use of TNF-α inhibitors in the treatment of AS...Presented at Annual European Congress of Rheumatology of EULAR; June 8-11, 2005; Vienna, Austria.

Monday, June 13, 2005 IL-6 Blocker Shows Promise in Systemic Onset Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
More evidence emerging on the therapeutic potential of the experimental IL-6 blocker tocilizumab in the management of severe SJIA... Presented at: Annual European Congress of Rheumatology of EULAR; June 8-11, 2005; Vienna, Austria.

Friday, June 10, 2005 Experts Discuss the Interaction Between Environmental and Genetic Risk for RA
A noted epidemiologist and rheumatologist review the multifactorial interplay between the unmodifiable genetic component of the disease and environmental risk factors that account for approximately 50% of RA incidence, and suggest that certain lifestyle modifications may lower RA risk...Presented at: Annual European Congress of Rheumatology of EULAR; June 8-11, 2005; Vienna, Austria.

Friday, June 10, 2005 High Doses of All NSAIDs Reportedly Increase Heart Attack Risk
The largest study to date on the association between cardiovascular events and the use of NSAIDs has found that the increase in risk is not limited to selective inhibitors of COX-2, and that, in fact, some nonselective NSAIDs confer the greatest risks...Presented at: Annual European Congress of Rheumatology of EULAR; June 8-11, 2005; Vienna, Austria.

Friday, June 10, 2005 Treatment of RA Reduces Cardiovascular Mortality
Analysis of a large RA database reveals that treatment with MTX or anti-TNF-α drugs causes a significant decrease in mortality, specifically in death due to cardiovascular and pulmonary disease... Presented at: Annual European Congress of Rheumatology of EULAR; June 8-11, 2005; Vienna, Austria.