Related Articles Results

Thursday Mar 18, 2010
Knee Replacements May Improve Balance
Joint replacement may improve an elderly patient's balance and prevent falls...

Tuesday Nov 24, 2009
Fatigue Is Valid Marker of RA Treatment Response
Single-item measures of fatigue are reliable and sensitive to change in RA patients taking TNF-blockers...

Wednesday Nov 04, 2009
Joan T. Merrill, MD, Answers Your Top Five Questions About Benlysta and Lupus
Benlysta™ (belimumab, formerly LymphoStat-B^®) is poised to be the first new lupus drug approved in 50 years...

Thursday Oct 22, 2009
For Early RA, Start with Six Months of MTX, then Add Two More DMARDs
ACR researchers report that initial treatment with methotrexate followed by step-up to two more DMARDs if needed at 6 months is as good as adding a TNF inhibitor...

Thursday Oct 15, 2009
To Scope or Not to Scope in Hip Patients Over 60
Hip arthroscopy may benefit some patients aged 60 and older with femoroacetebular impingement...

Wednesday Oct 07, 2009
Can Surgical Masks Protect You From Flu? Maybe
Surgical masks are nearly as effective as N95 respirators in preventing influenza in health care workers...

Thursday Oct 01, 2009
MRI Can Show Joint Damage in Early Gout
For patients with gout but normal plain radiographs, MRI is more sensitive than ultrasound for detecting early gout, but what to do with that information is unclear...

Wednesday Sep 16, 2009
Thunder God Vine Trounces Sulfasalazine in RA
An extract of the traditional Chinese medicinal vine Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TwHF) was better than sulfasalazine for treating rheumatoid arthritis...

Thursday Sep 10, 2009
Lodotra Delayed-Release Prednisone Aces Phase III
Nitec Pharma's Lodotra™ delayed-release prednisone met phase III efficacy endpoints. Nitec expects to file for FDA approval in RA...

Tuesday Sep 08, 2009
RA Drug Array ARRY-162 Fails in Phase 2
A new rheumatoid drug from Array BioPharma that modulates the MEK pathway did not meet Phase 2 efficacy goals...

Tuesday Aug 25, 2009
First RCTs Cast Doubt on Vertebroplasty Gains
The first 2 randomized, placebo-controlled trials of vertebroplasty for osteoporotic fractures show no significant benefits for the procedure...

Tuesday Aug 11, 2009
Untreated Depression May Dim RA TNF Inhibitor Response
Persistent depression affects RA patients' response to anti-TNF treatment...

Monday Aug 03, 2009
R U Ready 4 Teens With Arthritis?
Teens with JIA are a challenge, and maintaining treatment response is likely to require different thinking by clinicians used to treating adults or children...

Tuesday Jul 28, 2009
Surprise: OA Not linked to Menopause
OA incidence rises with age in women, but not because of changes in female hormone levels...

Thursday Jul 16, 2009
Tubular Diskectomy Patients Don't Recover Faster
Recovery from minimally invasive tubular diskectomy for sciatica is no quicker than from conventional microdiskectomy...

Thursday Jul 09, 2009
Amgen's Denosumab Bests Zometa in Breast Cancer Patients
The first of three pivotal oncology trials comparing denosumab to Zometa in the advanced cancer setting meets primary and secondary endpoints...

Wednesday Jul 08, 2009
Seniors Reap Durable Gains from Knee Replacement
Four-year follow-up data show that patients 65 and older derive important, lasting benefits from total knee arthroplasty...

Thursday Jun 25, 2009
Pegloticase Shrinks Tophi Even in Resistant Gout
Pegloticase significantly reduced tophus size in 40% of treatment-failure gout patients...

Monday Jun 22, 2009
EULAR Studies Show New Picture of B-Cell Depletion in RA
A group of studies reported at EULAR show that B-cell depletion is a relatively safe and effective treatment option for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)...

Tuesday Jun 09, 2009
Medicare Part D “Tiering” May Reduce Access to RA Biologicals
The specialty tiering allowed in the Medicare Part D drug program is likely to impose a heavy financial burden on many RA patients who take—or should take—biologics...

Monday Jun 08, 2009
Tai Chi Prevents Disability in Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain
The ancient Chinese exercise practice of Tai Chi may decrease pain, prevent disability, and improve overall physical health and quality of life for people with chronic musculoskeletal pain...

Tuesday Jun 02, 2009
Imaging Overused for Low Back Pain in Elderly
X-rays or advanced imaging scans to detect the source of low back pain are overused for certain elderly patients, mainly those treated in large practices that offer patient satisfaction-based financial incentives...

Thursday May 28, 2009
Long-Term Steroids Safe in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Glucocorticoids are safe for medium- and long-term use in RA, as well as for treating flares, a meta-analysis says...

Wednesday May 20, 2009
X-ray Stability Lags RA Remission by Months
Radiographic joint damage grinds to a halt only after at least 9 months of sustained disease remission...

Thursday May 07, 2009
Half of Early RA Patients Treated With Combo DMARDs Have No Disability After 11 Years
Treating early RA with 3 conventional DMARDs leads to more sustained remissions and better outcomes than starting with a single DMARD, regardless of what regimen is used after year 2...

Thursday Apr 30, 2009
Minimally Invasive Knee Replacement? Sometimes.
Minimally invasive knee arthroplasty may be appropriate for select patients when performed by an experienced surgeon...

Wednesday Apr 15, 2009
Reconstruction Recommended for Some Shoulder Separations
Experts differ on which type III shoulder separations need surgery...

Thursday Apr 09, 2009
Rituximab May Help Some Severe Lupus Nephritis Cases
Rituximab treatment that achieves early B-cell depletion in cases of severe lupus nephritis can induced complete or partial remission in 60% of patients...

Wednesday Feb 25, 2009
ACL Repairs Becoming More Common in Kids, Don't Shorten NFL Careers
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is becoming more common in school-age athletes and needs longer healing time than is sometimes allowed, but it need not jeopardize a professional sports career...

Wednesday Feb 25, 2009
Obesity “A Musculoskeletal Nightmare” for Joint Replacement
Obesity increases complication rates, and the super-obese should lose weight before having hip or knee replacement...

Friday Feb 20, 2009
Pain Doctors Aim to Cut Opioid Abuse, Side Effects
A new guideline issued by the American Pain Society (APS) and the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) aims to reduce opioid abuse, addiction, and diversion, and to minimize side effects among patients taking opioids for with chronic non-cancer pain...

Tuesday Feb 17, 2009
Some TNF Inhibitors Raise Shingles Risk in RA. Time to Vaccinate?
Anti-TNF monoclonal antibody drugs (adalimumab, infliximab) significantly increase herpes zoster risk in RA patients, and vaccination should be considered. Etanercept was not associated with increased herpes zoster risk...

Thursday Feb 05, 2009
Low Back Pain Seldom Needs Surgery
Patients with discogenic low back pain can be advised to get out of bed, get some exercise, and assume that they will not need surgery...

Wednesday Jan 28, 2009
Half of Psoriasis Patients Improve With Online Support Groups
Nearly half of psoriasis patients said their health status and disease severity improved after they joined an online psoriasis support group...

Tuesday Jan 20, 2009
Tricyclic Antidepressants Best for Fibromylagia
Some antidepressants can dramatically improve fibromyalgia symptoms...

Wednesday Dec 10, 2008
US-Guided Synvisc, Steroids Ease Inoperable Shoulders
Ultrasound-guided hyaluronic acid and steroid offer an alternative for inoperable shoulder impingement syndrome and arthrosynovitis...

Friday Dec 05, 2008
SSc Risk 60-Fold Higher in Raynaud's with SSc Antibodies, NCM Changes
Microvascular damage and systemic sclerosis (SSc)-specific antibodies can predict which Raynaud's phenomenon patients will progress to systemic sclerosis, and when...

Thursday Dec 04, 2008
RA Improving Due to Better Management, Not New Drugs
Better monitoring and more aggressive use of old drugs, especially methotrexate, have contributed more to recent improvements in RA outcomes in Spain than the arrival of new drugs such as TNF inhibitors...

Wednesday Dec 03, 2008
Data from KANON Patients Blow Hole in ACL Repair
Surgical reconstruction was not better than training alone for restoring muscle strength and function after ACL injury…

Monday Nov 17, 2008
Vitamin D Levels Linked to OA Cartilage Loss, OA Pain, and SSc Disease Activity by ACR Researchers
Low vitamin D levels are associated with faster progression of joint damage, bone loss, and pain in OA and with higher levels of inflammatory markers and vascular complications in systemic sclerosis, suggesting that more attention to vitamin D supplements might be in order...

Wednesday Nov 12, 2008
Pegloticase Offers Hope to Patients With Worst Types of Gout
Pegloticase (Puricase^®, Savient Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) performed well in two Phase III studies...

Wednesday Nov 05, 2008
Study Establishes Safety of Long-Term Juvenile Arthritis Treatments
Three-year data reported at ACR show that long-term etanercept, with or without MTX, is safe and effective in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis...

Friday Oct 31, 2008
Overnight Femoral Nerve Block As Good As 4-Day Block for Knee Replacement Pain
An overnight femoral nerve block improves function as well as a 4-day continuous femoral nerve block following total knee arthroplasty, although the continuous femoral nerve block may offer other advantages…

Thursday Oct 30, 2008
Abatacept Helps Kids With Arthritis Stay in School
Children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis treated with abatacept (Orencia^®) missed fewer school days than those who received placebo...

Thursday Oct 30, 2008
Old Malaria Drug Reduces Diabetes Risk in RA, Protects Kidneys in Lupus
The inexpensive old drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) shows remarkable protective ability against diabetes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and against renal disease in patients with lupus...

Tuesday Oct 28, 2008
Rheumatology Experts Say Stopping Smoking May Cut RA Pain, Disease Activity
Researchers at two major medical meetings are highlighting the role smoking plays in chronic pain and disease activity in RA...

Tuesday Oct 28, 2008
Syk Kinase Inhibitor R788 (Tamatinib fosdium) Achieves  ACR20 Response Rates Over 60% in Phase II Trial
The oral Syk kinase inhibitor R788 achieved impressive efficacy in a phase II RA trial...

Monday Oct 27, 2008
Tai Chi Rx for Knee OA
Tai chi may help treat pain and physical impairment among patients with severe knee osteoarthritis…

Thursday Oct 23, 2008
Pain Experts Clear Strength Training for Fibromyalgia
Strength training should have a role in the care and treatment of patients with fibromyalgia…

Tuesday Oct 21, 2008
Cutting Better Than Splinting for Carpal Tunnel Pain, Numbness, Weakness
A Cochrane review concludes that surgery is better than splinting for relieving the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, and that a head-to-head comparison of surgery versus steroid injections is needed...

Wednesday Oct 01, 2008
Roche Says US FDA Issues Complete Response Letter for Actemra^® Biologics License Application; No New Clinical Studies Requested
Actemra^® (tocilizumab) is the first humanized interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor-inhibiting monoclonal antibody studied for the treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis...

Wednesday Oct 01, 2008
Glucosamine/Chondroitin Stumbles Again in GAIT II Study of Knee OA Progression
2-year data from the GAIT trial show no significant effect of glucosamine with or without chondroitin sulfate on progression of joint damage...

Monday Sep 15, 2008
ACR REF Clinical and Translational Research Grants Target Better Ways to Monitor Response to Arthritis Care, Genetics, Heart and Bone Health in RA Patients
Six major grants from the ACR Research and Education Foundation show the growing importance of finding better ways to monitor response to (often expensive) RA care, decoding the genetic underpinnings of arthritis, and protecting arthritis patients’ hearts and bones in long-term care...

Monday Sep 15, 2008
Study Rules Against Arthroscopy for Most Knee OA Cases
Arthroscopy is not effective for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (OA), but an editorialist urges clinicians not to throw out the baby with the bathwater as arthroscopy can—and does—help knee OA patients in whom a coexisting knee problem such as a meniscal tear or a loose piece of cartilage is causing the majority of their symptoms…

Thursday Sep 04, 2008
Omeros Enters Into Agreement With Affitech for Anti-inflammatory Therapeutics, Awaits Phase III Clinical Trial Results for Agent
Omeros Corp and Affitech AS have entered into an agreement for the discovery and development of fully human antibodies for Omeros’ MASP-2, which mediates activation of the complement system via the lectin pathway...

Wednesday Sep 03, 2008
Out-of-Pocket Arthritis Costs Rising Despite Medicare Drug Benefit
Out-of-pocket medical costs for Medicare-age adults were brought close to 2003 levels by the new Medicare Part D drug benefit, but high OTC and prescription costs continue to be an issue...

Thursday Aug 28, 2008
Mesoblast Reports Preclinical Study Shows Allogeneic Stem Cells in Ewes are Safe, Effective for Cervical Spine Fusion; Therapy May Receive Boost From US FDA’s Recent Alert of Life-Threatening Complications Associated With rhBMP in Cervical Spine Fusions
Mesoblast is currently in phase II clinical trials for fusion of the lumbar spine and, based on these new results, will extend its market opportunity to cover the entire spectrum of spinal fusion. Subject to FDA approval, Mesoblast's therapy will eliminate the need for autograft...

Wednesday Aug 27, 2008
Pivotal Humira Trial Shows Durable Benefit in Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
The pivotal trial of adalimumab (Humira^®) shows durable, safe efficacy for up to 2 years for children with polyarticular JRA and positions the TNF-inhibitor as the reasonable second-line drug to add if methotrexate does not provide sufficient disease control...

Monday Aug 25, 2008
Emisphere Reports Full Recruitment of Study Evaluating Eligen^® Technology and Salmon Calcitonin on Vertebral Fractures in Postmenopausal Women
Emisphere Technologies announced that recruitment is finished for a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study of oral salmon calcitonin in the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women taking calcium and vitamin D...

Wednesday Aug 20, 2008
Zoledronic Acid Prevents Chemo-Induced Bone Loss in Premenopausal Women With Breast Cancer
As the population of breast cancer survivors grows, the risks of life after cancer treatment are becoming a major concern. One risk is bone loss caused by chemotherapy, and phase III data show that a dose of zoledronic acid every 3 months during chemotherapy can prevent this problem in premenopausal women with breast cancer...

Monday Aug 18, 2008
Power Doppler Ultrasound Measures Response to TNF-blockers in RA
Power doppler ultrasonographic monitoring may help measure response to TNF-blockers as well as predict X-ray progression in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients…

Monday Aug 18, 2008
MedImmune, Medarex Report Initiation of Phase IIa Clinical Trial of Fully Human Anti-Interferonα Monoclonal Antibody in Lupus Patients
MedImmune has initiated enrollment in a phase IIa trial with a human monoclonal antibody (MEDI-545) targeting interferonα in adult patients with moderate-to-severe active lupus...

Thursday Aug 07, 2008
Heart Risks Rise With Revision or Bilateral Joint Arthroplasty
Patients who undergo revision or bilateral joint arthroplasty are at significantly higher increased risk for heart attack or heart failure than patients who undergo their first replacement of a single knee or hip…

Tuesday Jul 29, 2008
CEL-SCI Announces Positive Preclinical Results Using CEL-2000, a Chimeric Peptide with Bi-Functional Properties, as RA Vaccine
CEL-SCI Corp announced the discovery of CEL-2000, a novel peptide vaccine for the treatment of RA. Tests showed that CEL-2000 is equivalent or possibly superior to Enbrel^® in slowing disease progression and lessening symptoms in mice...

Monday Jul 28, 2008
Chelsea Therapeutics Granted UK MHRA Approval to Begin Phase II Trial of Droxidopa, a Prodrug of Norepinephrine, in Fibromyalgia
Droxidopa, an orally active synthetic amino acid precursor of norepinephrine (NE), is converted by the body into norepinephrine and as a prodrug of NE, provides replacement therapy for NE deficiency...

Monday Jul 28, 2008
NHS TNF Inhibitor Restrictions Heighten Impact of Baseline DAS28 in RA
The British National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines for approving access to TNF inhibitors for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may be unnecessarily extending the period when steroids are not allowed and classifying >30% of patients as “nonresponders” who would not be allowed to continue anti-TNF treatment...

Thursday Jul 24, 2008
Adenosine Receptor Variant Might Be Pharmacogenetic Marker for RA Methotrexate Toxicity Risk
The discovery that variants of the adenosine receptor 2a gene (ADORA2a) are associated with methotrexate toxicity may help identify rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who should be treated with something else...

Friday Jul 18, 2008
Even Really Old Joints Benefit From Replacement in Osteoarthritis
Patients ≥75 do as well as those 65 to 74 after joint replacement for severe hip or knee OA...

Tuesday Jul 15, 2008
Wyeth Reports European Commission Announces Marketing Authorization for 50 mg Once-Weekly Enbrel^® (etanercept) for Patients With Moderate-to-Severe Psoriasis
The European Commission announced a new 50 mg Enbrel^® (etanercept) once-weekly dosage regimen as an alternative to the currently approved 25 mg Enbrel twice-weekly regimen for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis...

Monday Jul 14, 2008
Adding Caffeine to Carbs Speeds Muscle Glycogen Recovery After Intense Exercise
About 5 or 6 cups of strong coffee ingested along with carbohydrates after intense exercise can increase muscle glycogen recovery by ≥50% versus carbs alone and might prepare athletes for better performance the following day...

Monday Jul 07, 2008
Three Studies Support Rivaroxaban Over Heparin-Based Treatment to Prevent VTE After Joint Replacement
Three studies show that selective factor Xa inhibition with rivaroxaban trumps heparin-based thromboprophylaxis for reducing venous thromboembolism after total hip and total knee arthroplasty…

Wednesday Jun 25, 2008
Exercise Helps Prevent Knee OA in the Young and the Young at Heart
Moderate exercise may help prevent knee osteoarthritis (OA) in young and middle-aged individuals…

Tuesday Jun 24, 2008
Nearly Half of Undifferentiated Arthritis Patients Can Achieve Drug-Free Remission After 1 Year of MTX
The chance of achieving drug-free arthritis remission after 1 year of MTX therapy is 46% and is predicted by a negative ACPA status, no or low radiographic damage at baseline, increased age, and shorter disease duration…

Tuesday Jun 24, 2008
Treatment Adherence in Patients with RA and SLE
Many RA and SLE patients report problems with treatment adherence; race, education, and treatment side effects are the most influential factors on adherence…

Friday Jun 20, 2008
Longitudinal MRI Study Confirms that Rituximab Stops Progression in RA, Suggests Some Regression
Imaging studies done 1 year after rituximab (RTX) treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) confirm that progression of joint damage was stopped, and suggest that there may even have been some regression of established damage...

Wednesday Jun 18, 2008
Rigel Launches Two Global Phase IIb Clinical Trials of Syk Inhibitor, R788 (fostamatinib disodium), in RA
Rigel currently has small-molecule product development programs in inflammatory/autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, thrombocytopenia, and asthma...

Wednesday Jun 18, 2008
Anti-TNF Gene Therapy Appears Safe, May Reduce Pain, Swelling in RA Joints
Researchers report that transferring a TNF-antagonist gene into the joint is safe, may reduce pain and swelling in patients with inflammatory arthritis...

Tuesday Jun 17, 2008
At 1 Year, Balloon Kyphoplasty Provides Better Pain, Function Outcomes Than Nonsurgical Care for Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures
After 12 months, patients with acute vertebral compression fractures treated with balloon kyphoplasty had sustained improvements in pain and function compared with those who received nonsurgical care...

Tuesday Jun 17, 2008
Tocilizumab Plus Methotrexate Shows Efficacy for Anti-TNF Refractory Rheumatoid Arthritis
Tocilizumab plus methotrexate (MTX) looks to be an effective alternative for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with inadequate response to TNF inhibitors...

Monday Jun 16, 2008
Promising Epratuzumab Corticosteroid-Sparing Data Leads to Re-Start of Phase III Studies in Lupus
Phase III studies of epratuzumab in systemic lupus erythematosus have resumed after analysis of early data showed steroid-sparing effects...

Wednesday Jun 11, 2008
Meniscal Damage, Joint Malalignment Predict Cartilage Loss in Knee OA
New research confirms that meniscal damage and joint alignment predict cartilage loss in knee osteoarthritis (OA)…

Wednesday Jun 11, 2008
How to Tell If an RA Patient is Likely to Achieve DMARD-Free Remission Without Biologics
A number of factors identify rheumatoid arthritis patients whose disease is likely to respond to conventional DMARD treatment with sustained, drug-free remission...

Thursday Jun 05, 2008
Less Osteoporosis Care, More Hip Fractures Seen in Europe vs Other Countries
European doctors are less likely to screen for or treat osteoporosis, and hip fracture rates in Europe are higher than in North America or Australia, according to baseline data from the ongoing Global Longitudinal registry of Osteoporosis in Women (GLOW)…

Monday Jun 02, 2008
Targeted Genetics Reports Positive Interim Findings From Inflammatory Arthritis Phase I/II Trial of tgAAC94; Demonstrates Safety and Preliminary Efficacy, Supports Further Clinical Development
Targeted Genetics Corp's study is designed to assess the safety and potential effect of multiple doses of tgAAC94 administered directly to affected joints of inflammatory arthritis subjects with or without concurrent use of systemic TNF antagonist therapies...

Wednesday May 28, 2008
Smokers With RA Use More DMARDs, Biologics, but Don't Have Worse Joint Damage
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who smoke are likely to use more DMARDs or biologics than nonsmokers and are less likely to achieve ACR response, but they do not have worse joint damage...

Tuesday May 20, 2008
Is "Diarthritis" the New Epidemic? Maybe
We've heard of diabesity (the converging epidemic of diabetes and obesity) and now doctors may be seeing more diarthritis (diabetes plus arthritis) in their patients…

Monday May 19, 2008
AACE Experts Warn of Vitamin D Problems in Vegans, Urge Routine Monitoring in Osteoporosis Patients
Vitamin D deficiency research reported at the 2008 American Association for Clinical Endocrinology meetings included a warning about vegan diets, evidence that osteoporosis patients in treatment are still not getting enough vitamin D, and evidence that even a hip fracture does not lead to adequate vitamin D therapy...

Wednesday May 14, 2008
8-Year Data Confirm Etanercept Safety, Efficacy in Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
Long-term open-label data show that etanercept (Enbrel^®) is safe and effective over 8 years of continuous treatment of children with JRA...

Friday May 09, 2008
Treating Early RA With Intensive Step-Up Triple-DMARDs is as Good Starting 3 At Once—Perhaps as Effective as Biologics
Intensive triple therapy with conventional DMARDs in early active RA is as effective as a step-up regimen and is as effective as when all 3 drugs are started together, and both approaches can achieve response rates as high as those seen with biologics…

Thursday May 08, 2008
Trubion Initiates Phase IIb Study of TRU-015, a CD20-directed Drug Candidate, Plus MTX for the Treatment of RA
Trubion's partner Wyeth Pharmaceuticals has commenced patient dosing in a multicenter, phase IIb clinical trial of TRU-015; previously reported data demonstrated TRU-015's ability to significantly improve RA signs and symptoms...

Wednesday Apr 30, 2008
Grim Picture Painted for Lupus 5-Year Mortality Risk
Despite some advances in treatment, recently diagnosed lupus patients still face elevated risks of death within 5 years of their diagnosis when compared with lupus-free controls…

Tuesday Apr 29, 2008
Alendronate Linked to Atrial Fibrillation
A case-control study reports that women who have used alendronate are nearly twice as likely to develop atrial fibrillation as those who have never used bisphosphonates...

Friday Apr 11, 2008
FDA Warns of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy With CellCept
FDA informed healthcare professionals that it is investigating a potential association between the use of mycophenolate mofetil and development of PML...

Monday Apr 07, 2008
Analysis Finds Etanercept, Adalimumab More Cost-Effective Than Infliximab for Medicare Use
A model comparing costs and effectiveness of the biologics currently covered for treating RA in US Medicare beneficiaries has shown that etanercept (ETN) and adalimumab (ADA) are both more cost-effective than infliximab (INF)…

Tuesday Apr 01, 2008
Trubion Announces SBI-087, a Fully Humanized CD20-directed Compound, as Next-Generation Product Candidate for RA and SLE; TRU-015 to Enter Phase IIb RA Clinical Trial
Trubion Pharmaceuticals, Inc announced that its collaboration partner Wyeth Pharmaceuticals has filed an investigational new drug (IND) application for SBI-087 for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and clinical trial sites are preparing to enroll patients in a phase I study...

Thursday Mar 27, 2008
High Dose IVIg May Prevent Miscarriage in Lupus Pregnancies
High dose intravenous immunoglubulin (IVIg) therapy may help pregnant women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who have a history of recurrent miscarriage improve their disease and pregnancy outcomes…

Thursday Mar 20, 2008
Merrimack Pharmaceuticals Completes Enrollment in a Phase II Study of MM-093, Recombinant AFP, in Patients With RA
Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc's phase II trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of MM-093, a nonglycosylated, recombinant version of human alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has completed enrollment...

Tuesday Mar 18, 2008
Genzyme Reports That US Data From Large Outcome Studies of Carticel^® Support Long-Term Clinical Duration; Prior Marrow Stimulation Techniques May Compromise Treatment With Carticel
Genzyme announced that almost 90% of patients treated with Carticel who experienced improvement in knee function at an early follow-up, sustained their improvement for almost 10 years...

Monday Mar 10, 2008
AAOS Debates Gender-Specific Joint Implants
Joint replacement experts say implant should fit body, not gender...

Friday Mar 07, 2008
ACL Tears Should Be Repaired Within 12 Weeks of Injury
ACL reconstruction should be done within 12 weeks of injury to avoid irreparable meniscus damage...

Friday Mar 07, 2008
Sports Doctors Urge for More Injury Prevention in Women Athletes
Sex matters in sports injuries, and more attention to special problems of women athletes is needed...

Wednesday Mar 05, 2008
AAOS Researchers Provide New Look at Steroid-Induced Osteonecrosis
Steroid-induced osteonecrosis tends to resolve in SLE patients when the underlying disease is under control but tends to advance after SLE recurs. In patients with steroid-induced hip osteonecrosis, shoulder damage is likely to result in joint collapse within 15 years if not treated...

Thursday Feb 28, 2008
Regular Aquatic Exercise Could Benefit Fibromyalgia Sufferers
Adding aquatic exercise 3 times a week to usual care for fibromyalgia may be a cost-effective strategy for improving quality of life...

Thursday Feb 21, 2008
Women More Likely to Postpone New Knees
Women are waiting longer to undergo knee replacement surgery than men, and the delay may cause greater disability...

Thursday Feb 21, 2008
Glucosamine Misses GOAL in Hip OA Study
The first major trial of glucosamine sulfate in early hip OA found that it was no better than placebo at reducing pain, improving function, or slowing progression...

Tuesday Feb 19, 2008
Sensitivity to Implant Materials in Patients With Total Knee Arthroplasties
Total knee arthroplasty patients may experience increased sensitization, which can negatively impact the outcome of the implant...

Tuesday Feb 19, 2008
RA Doubles Risk for Depression, but Rheumatologists Seldom Notice
Depression should appear on the rheumatologist's radar screen when treating patients with RA...

Tuesday Feb 19, 2008
Duloxetine, Milnacipran Studies in Fibromyalgia Reported
Duloxetine (Lilly's Cymbalta®) and milnacipran (Cypress Bioscience's Ixel®) studies report promising but mixed results...

Thursday Feb 14, 2008
Nearly All Back Pain Improves By 5 Years
A follow-up study of low back pain finds that >90% of patients report significant improvement within 5 years...

Wednesday Feb 13, 2008
65% More Spent on Spine Problems Bought Little Relief, JAMA Study Says
Spine-related expenditures jumped 65% from 1997 to 2005, but bought little improvement in patients' health status...

Thursday Feb 07, 2008
Lupus Myocarditis More Common in African Americans, Linked to Shorter Survival
African-American lupus patients and those with more active lupus at diagnosis are at greater risk for lupus-related myocarditis, which is associated with shorter survival...

Thursday Feb 07, 2008
Arthroscopic Debridement for Knee Osteoarthritis
Arthroscopic debridement does not appear to offer any benefit for osteoarthritis aggravated by mechanical or inflammatory causes...

Tuesday Feb 05, 2008
MGH Center is a Pioneer in Knee Repair
Physicians at the Massachusetts General Hospital sports medicine center are experimenting with new techniques for joint reconstruction in athletes...

Wednesday Jan 30, 2008
Smoking Linked to Rheumatoid Nodules, High IgA-RF Levels in African Americans
African Americans with RA who smoke are more likely to have rheumatoid nodules and high IgA-RF levels; the risk is greatest for those who have >20-pack-years of exposure...

Friday Jan 18, 2008
Third Study Finds No Gain to Bracing Knee After ACL Reconstruction
Functional knee braces are widely used for patients returning to sports or other activity following ACL reconstruction, but a randomized, controlled trial found that the costly braces are no better than neoprene sleeves—and probably no better than not bracing at all...

Monday Jan 14, 2008
8-Week Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program Improves Pain and Fatigue
The Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program, formerly called People with Arthritis Can Exercise (PACE), can safely get older, sedentary arthritis patients up off the couch, a new study shows...

Friday Jan 11, 2008
Earlier Knee Replacement Urged for Women With OA
Women wait until much later in the osteoarthritis disease process to have total knee arthroplasty, and this delay may be jeopardizing functional recovery...

Friday Jan 11, 2008
Outcomes of Osteochondral Lesions of the Knee Repaired With a Bioabsorbable Device 
Researchers evaluated the functional and radiographic outcomes of osteochondral lesions of arthroscopically-repaired knees...

Thursday Dec 20, 2007
OARSI Researchers Further Refine Matrix-Associated Cartilage Repair Techniques
Matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte implantation continues to improve as a way of repairing arthritis knees, and MRI can be used to check the quality of the repaired tissue...

Friday Dec 14, 2007
Acologix Reports AC-100 Promotes Articular Surface Restoration and Subchondral Bone Healing in Osteochondral Defect Study in Goats
Acologix, Inc announced preclinical study results demonstrating that AC-100 (Dentonin®) promoted cartilage regeneration in an animal model. Dentonin is a synthetic peptide derived from an endogenous human protein produced by bone and dental cells...

Thursday Dec 13, 2007
Pediatric Arthritis Causes 827,000 Physician Visits Per Year
Over 290,000 children suffer from pediatric arthritis or other serious rheumatologic conditions and require an average of 827,000 ambulatory healthcare visits per year, which places a significant burden on the health care system...

Wednesday Dec 12, 2007
 New Hips Keep on Keeping On
The benefits of total hip arthroplasty on physical function are substantial and long-lasting especially in osteoarthritis (OA) patients with more pronounced X-ray damage...

Thursday Dec 06, 2007
 Drug Update: Rituximab
Repeat rituximab was notably effective in patients with DMARD-resistant RA, and the B-cell depleting agent is being tested in pediatric SLE and in Sjögren's syndrome...

Friday Nov 30, 2007
Drug Update: Abatacept
Researchers continue to argue for the cost-effectiveness of abatacept in treatment-resistant rheumatoid arthritis, but a real-world analysis raises questions about responses in routine clinical use. Safety data show no increased risk of malignancies or infection...

Wednesday Nov 28, 2007
Update on Joint Replacement
Total joint replacement has reduced pain and disability in elderly patients with arthritis. The procedure is cost-effective even for high-risk patients, but it is associated with higher risk for cardiac complications if both joints are replaced during the same procedure, and it might be chosen by more African-American patients if finances were less of an issue...

Monday Nov 26, 2007
Teriparatide Builds More Bone Than Alendronate in Steroid-Caused Osteoporosis
Teriparatide built more bone mass and prevented more vertebral fractures than alendronate in the first head-to-head study of the two drugs for glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis...

Wednesday Nov 21, 2007
Combining MTX or Other DMARD With Biologic Seen as Best Strategy for MTX-Resistant Rheumatoid Arthritis
A systematic review of head-to-head trials and prospective cohort studies found little difference among either conventional DMARDs or anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drugs used as monotherapy, but suggests that adding a conventional DMARD to a biologic may be the best strategy for MTX-resistant RA...

Wednesday Nov 21, 2007
Researchers "Shocked" at Enbrel's Efficacy in JRA
Etanercept (Enbrel®) is safe and effective in the long-term treatment of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), according to new 8-year outcome data...

Monday Nov 19, 2007
Early Surgery Trumps Steroids for Long-Term Outcomes in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome 
Decompression surgery is three times more effective than local corticosteroid injections for primary carpal syndrome...

Thursday Nov 15, 2007
Response to RA Therapy in First 3 Months Predicts Chance of Remission at 1 Year
Rheumatoid arthritis disease activity during the first 3 months of treatment predicts response at 1 year, and even partial response may "reset the baseline" for subsequent treatment...

Wednesday Nov 14, 2007
New Topical Nitroglycerin for Raynaud's Phenomenon Reported at ACR
A new topical formulation of nitroglycerine that is not absorbed systemically significantly reduced symptoms in over 40% of patients with Raynaud's phenomenon...

Tuesday Nov 13, 2007
Single Botulinum Toxin Injection Smooths Out OA Shoulder Pain

A single intra-articular injection of botulinum toxin type A relieved shoulder pain for a month in patients with refractory OA...

Tuesday Nov 13, 2007
Targeted Genetics Reports Positive Interim Phase I/II Results for tgAAC94 in Inflammatory Arthritis; Tests Indicate tgAAC94 Did Not Contribute to Immunosuppression Leading to Fatal SAE
Targeted Genetics Corp, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, announced that interim data from its phase I/II trial of tgAAC94 for inflammatory arthritis suggest that the investigational therapy showed improvement in patient-reported outcome measures...

Friday Nov 09, 2007
RA Increases Stroke Risk Nearly as Much as Does Hypertension
RA is an independent risk factor for stroke and increases stroke risk nearly as much as having hypertension...

Thursday Nov 08, 2007
Serum Uric Acid May Be Independent Risk Factor in RA Cardiovascular Disease
Elevated serum uric acid, a potentially modifiable problem, may be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease in patients with RA...

Thursday Nov 08, 2007
Biomarkers May Identify Risk for Preeclampsia in Lupus Pregnancies
Measuring levels of circulating antiangiogenic factors sFlt-1 and sEng may help identify which patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and/or antiphospholipid antibodies will develop preeclampsia...

Thursday Oct 25, 2007
Systematic Review: Few Signs of Tai Chi Efficacy in RA 
Tai chi exercise is often recommended for patients with arthritis, including RA, but a systematic review finds little evidence that it is effective...

Tuesday Oct 16, 2007
Prolonged IV Antibiotics Produce No Lasting Benefit in Post-Lyme Cognitive Problems
The fourth randomized clinical trial to test prolonged antibiotic therapy in patients previously treated for Lyme disease confirms the lack of lasting improvement in cognitive function reported in the early studies...

Tuesday Oct 16, 2007
Combination Therapy is Better for RA Patients Who Partially Responded to Long-term Monotherapy
Many RA patients who have partial responses to long-term etanercept or methotrexate monotherapy can be put into remission by combining these drugs...

Tuesday Oct 09, 2007
Sitaxsentan May Offer Alternative to Bosentan for PAH in Connective Tissue Disease Patients

Sitaxsentan improved 6-minute walk distance and quality of life in connective tissue disease patients who also have PAH...

Wednesday Oct 03, 2007
Media Miss Point of Acupuncture Back Pain Study

Superficial needling at nonacupuncture points is as good as true acupuncture for relieving chronic low back pain and both are better than conventional therapy, raising the possibility that a "superplacebo effect" accounts for the benefits associated with acupuncture in previous studies...

Friday Sep 28, 2007
Surprise Data From ASBMR: Keep Antiresorptive Going When Adding Teriparatide
A randomized trial testing whether osteoporosis patients on long-term antiresorptive treatment benefit more from switching to teriparatide or from adding the new drug shows conclusively that it is better to add than to switch...

Thursday Sep 27, 2007
Panel Issues New Guidelines for Use of Imaging in Ankylosing Spondylitis
Although standard X-rays are essential for diagnosis and MRI may help diagnose early cases before radiographic damage develops,  no form of imaging is yet useful for monitoring response to treatment or for routine monitoring of disease progression in AS, experts say...

Friday Sep 21, 2007
 TNF Blockade Slows But Does Not Stop X-Ray Progression in AS
Four-year follow-up data show that infliximab slows but does not inhibit radiographic progression in AS…

Wednesday Sep 19, 2007
Sosei's Fibromyalgia Phase II Trial of Nonopioid Analgesic, AD 337, Fails to Achieve Primary Endpoint
Sosei Group Corp, an international biopharmaceutical company focused on drug reprofiling, announced that its phase II proof-of-principle trial of AD 337 (an enantiomer of an approved, centrally acting, nonopioid, analgesic) for the treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) failed to achieve a statistically significant outcome in its primary endpoint at 4 weeks...

Tuesday Sep 18, 2007
Inhaler Might Replace PTH Self-Injection to Prevent Postmenopausal Osteoporosis
Parathyroid hormone effectively increases postmenopausal BMD but has the downside of requiring self injection, which decreases compliance. Delivery of a PTH analogue via a dry-powder inhaler might be just as good...Morley P, et al. ASBMR 2007.

Thursday Sep 13, 2007
Hormone Therapy Does Not Worsen Lupus But May Increase Thrombosis Risk
Menopause hormonal therapy does not worsen lupus disease activity or trigger disease flares but may add to an already high risk of thrombosis in women with SLE...

Tuesday Sep 11, 2007
Synovio-Entheseal Complex Seen As Key to Psoriatic Arthritis, Spondylarthropathies
The synovio-entheseal complex (SEC), where the enthesis and synovium come together in a synovial joint, links joint damage and innate immune activation leading to joint inflammation...McGonagle D, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2007;56:2482-2491.

Monday Sep 10, 2007
Jury Out on Whether Surgical Repair of ACL Tears Staves Off OA

Little convincing evidence supports surgical repair of the anterior cruciate ligament or meniscus as a way of preventing OA, but the problem may lie in the way the studies have been done, not in the surgery…Lohmander LS, et al. Am J Sports Med. 2007 Aug 29; doi: 10.1177/0363546507307396 [Epub ahead of print].

Friday Aug 31, 2007
Pulse IVMP Treatment May Decline With the Advent of New Lupus Therapies
Intravenous methylprednisolone (IVMP) still plays an important role in treating acute flares among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but its role in acute flares and long-term treatment of lupus nephritis and of nonrenal lupus manifestations may require reevaluation as new treatments become available…Parker BJ, et al. Lupus. 2007;16(6):387-393.

Friday Aug 31, 2007
TNF Inhibitors Raise Risk for Skin Cancers But Not Other Malignancies
The final report from a large observational study of more than 13,000 patients clears TNF inhibitors of increasing the incidence of solid tumors or lymphomas but finds that TNF-inhibitor treatment is associated with a significant increase in melanomas and other skin cancers…Wolfe F, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2007;56:2886-2895.

Thursday Aug 30, 2007
Medtronic Receives FDA Approval for First Artificial Disc for Use in the Cervical Spine in the US
Medtronic, Inc,  announced that it has received US FDA approval to market the PRESTIGE® Cervical Disc, the first artificial disc commercially available in the US for use in cervical disc arthroplasty or cervical artificial disc replacement...

Tuesday Aug 28, 2007
Systematic Review Finds No Benefit From Selenium or Vitamins A, C in Arthritis; Raises Methodological Questions About Studies Showing Benefit From Vitamin E
Antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E, sometimes combined with selenium, have been widely touted as beneficial for the treatment of arthritis, but a systematic review finds little convincing evidence of efficacy...

Monday Aug 20, 2007
Three New Studies Investigate How—Or Even If—Race and Ethnicity Affect Arthritis
CIAOMed takes an in-depth look at current research on the relationship between race, ethnicity, and arthritis...

Thursday Aug 16, 2007
Even Moderate Exercise Improves Outcomes in JIA
Two new studies document diminished aerobic and anaerobic exercise capacity in children and teens with JIA and show that even moderate exercise can markedly improve outcomes...

Thursday Aug 09, 2007
Osteoporosis Screening, Treatment Recommended for Older Men Only if History of Fracture or Over Age 80
Osteoporosis screening of all men over age 70 plus bisphosphonates for those with osteoporosis is not a cost-effective strategy for fracture prevention at current drug cost levels but might be reasonable for men 65 or older with prior fracture and for men 80 or older even without prior fracture...Schousboe JT, et al. JAMA. 2007;298:629-637.

Monday Jul 30, 2007
Can Vitamin D Help Treat RA?
Low vitamin D levels linked to more severe inflammatory arthritis…Patel S, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2007;56:2143-2149.

Friday Jul 20, 2007
OA Experts Discuss Inflammation, Joint Protection, Need for Disease-Modifying OA Drugs
CIAOMed's roundtable of osteoarthritis experts discuss the role of inflammation in OA, the possibility that OA joint damage might be preventable, and the future role of disease-modifying drugs in OA....

Thursday Jul 19, 2007
ACR REF Campaign Taps Brightest Minds to Cure RA
The American College of Rheumatology Research and Education Foundation has awarded $6 million in grant money to 15 arthritis researchers as part of a new "Within Our Reach: Finding a Cure for Rheumatoid Arthritis" campaign.

Friday Jul 13, 2007
Intensive MTX Therapy Plus Computer Guidance Moves More RA Patients into Remission
Intensive methotrexate (MTX) therapy adjusted with the help of a quantitative computerized decision program may move more early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients into remission than conventional MTX treatment…Verstappen SMM, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2007; May 22; [Epub ahead of print].

Wednesday Jul 11, 2007
Corin's Hip Resurfacing System Gains US FDA Approval; Stryker to Market in the US in Third Quarter of 2007
Stryker Corp, one of the world's leading medical technology companies with a broad range of products in orthopaedics, announced that it will begin marketing the Corin Group PLC's CormetTM Hip Resurfacing System by  the third quarter of 2007...

Thursday Jul 05, 2007
Too Much Early, Aggressive Care Slows Recovery From Whiplash
Early, aggressive treatment of whiplash impedes recovery, and adding chiropractic to general medical care slows recuperation even more...

Tuesday Jul 03, 2007
Conventional Drugs Can Beat Back Early RA
Two-year data show that intensive treatment with methotrexate (MTX) and intra-articular corticosteroid can reduce X-ray progression in early RA...

Tuesday Jul 03, 2007
Twenty Percent of Pregnant Women With RA Conceived While Taking Potentially Fetotoxic Drugs
The growing use of combination regimens including methotrexate in early RA warrants increased attention to warning patients about potential risks during the first trimester of pregnancy…

Thursday Jun 28, 2007
FDA Approves New Labeling for Carticel® in Repair of Articular Knee Cartilage
Genzyme Corporation announced that the US FDA has approved new labeling for Carticel® based on the company's completing a final FDA postapproval commitment study...

Thursday Jun 21, 2007
Genzyme Files for FDA Approval of Single-Treatment Synvisc-Oneâ„¢ for OA Knee Pain
Genzyme Corp announced filing with the US FDA for product marketing authorization (PMA) of Synvisc-Oneâ„¢, the single treatment combining three doses of Synvisc® (hylan G-F 20) that provides up to 6 months of pain relief from osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee...

Monday Jun 18, 2007
Immediate Switch From TNF-Inhibitors To Abatacept Safe in RA Patients
A washout is not needed when switching from a TNF-inhibitor to abatacept...

Friday Jun 15, 2007
Two Thirds of Gout Patients Receiving No, or Not Enough Treatment
A number of new treatment options for gout are available, but the major clinical problem is that even after gout diagnosis, only about one third of patients receive urate-lowering therapy...

Thursday Jun 14, 2007
Modifed-Release Prednisone Tablet Reduces Morning Stiffness
Study highlights new approach to prednisolone delivery that synchronizes with the circadian rhythms of endogenous cortisol and RA symptoms…

Thursday Jun 14, 2007
Steroids Are DMARDS: MTX Plus Prednisolone Provides Durable Benefit in RA
Study confirms "window of opportunity" in early RA where steroids can reduce structural damage…

Wednesday Jun 13, 2007
Stopping AS May Require Earlier Use of TNF-Inhibitors
Inflammation in AS stops once the subchondral bone is eroded and the bone/cartilage interface disappears, so preventing bone erosion and syndesmophyte formation is likely to require early anti-inflammatory treatment, including TNF-inhibitors...

Thursday Jun 07, 2007
Leflunomide Trumps MTX for Preventing Relapse in Wegener's Granulomatosis; Side Effects Still a Worry
A head-to-head comparison of leflunomide and MTX for Wegener's granulomatosis was stopped early due to higher relapse rates with MTX...

Tuesday Jun 05, 2007
Peptech's Anti-TNF Domain Antibody (PN0621) Enters Phase I Clinical Trial
Peptech Limited, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and providing antibody- and peptide-based human therapeutic products for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and cancer...

Thursday May 31, 2007
Studies Support Back Surgery Mainly for Nerve-Root-Associated Symptoms and Find Little Need to Rush to the OR
Lumbar-disk surgery for sciatica speeds pain relief but does not affect recovery at 1 year, but spinal fusion for lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis with spinal stenosis was more effective than nonsurgical treatment...

Tuesday May 29, 2007
Biomechanics, Damage Outside Cartilage May Doom Chondroprotection
Chondroprotection seemed like a reasonable approach to OA when the disease was thought to result from wear and tear on cartilage, but it has had little success in clinical trials. Biomechanics and damage outside the cartilage may be the reason...

Thursday May 24, 2007
SLE Experts Highlight Need for Targeted Therapies
SLE treatment has improved, but not enough, and more targeted therapies may be the answer...

Friday May 18, 2007
Little Benefit Found for Amitriptyline in JIA, But New Research Design May Speed Clinical Trials
Amitriptyline is ineffective for JIA pain, but multiple serial N-of-1 trials plus Bayesian meta-analysis can be used with low patient numbers to weed out treatments that don't merit study in large clinical trials...

Tuesday May 15, 2007
TNF-α, IL-1 Mediate Postmenopausal Osteoporosis
Blocking TNF-α or IL-1 can slow postmenopausal bone loss...

Tuesday May 08, 2007
2-Year Results Support Use of New Chondrocyte Graft to Repair Knee OA Damage
Two-year follow-up of a new 3-dimensional scaffold that permits grafting of autologous chondrocyte to repair knee cartilage defects show promising results in both knee OA and knee trauma, and the procedure can be done arthroscopically...

Monday May 07, 2007
Selected Presentations From the American Pain Society Meeting
American Pain Society presentations included new research on genetic factors associated with TMJD and with shoulder pain, a randomized trial of nabilone for fibromyalgia, and the intersection between chronic pain and PTSD...

Wednesday May 02, 2007
Yearly Injection of Zoledronic Acid Cuts Spine Fracture Risk by 70%
A single intravenous 5-mg dose of zoledronic acid (Reclast®), given once yearly, can significantly reduce the risk of vertebral, hip,and other fractures, but its major advantage may lie in the ease of administration…

Tuesday May 01, 2007
Rituximab Plus Cyclophosphamide May Be an Option for Patients With Refractory Lupus Nephritis
A new 6-month pilot study suggests that rituximab (RituxanR) plus cyclophosphamide leads to clinical and histopathologic improvements in patients with therapy-resistant proliferative lupus nephritis...

Thursday Apr 26, 2007
Cellerant's Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplants Improve Survival and Disease Symptoms in Lupus Mouse Model
Cellerant Therapeutics Inc, a clinical-stage biotechnology company with a portfolio of products and services under development for the regulation of the hematopoietic system, announced data suggesting that established autoimmune disease can be reversed or stabilized by the transplantation of highly purified allogeneic, hematopoietic adult stem cells (HSC) in a mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)...

Wednesday Apr 18, 2007
Death Forces Early Termination of Study of Infliximab in Systemic Vasculitis
Adverse events, including one death among nine patients treated, forced early termination of infliximab trial in systemic vasculitis...

Tuesday Apr 17, 2007
Is the "Golden Moment of Opportunity" to Improve FDA's Drug Safety Work About to Be Wasted?
The FDA's proposals for the reauthorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act are weighed and found wanting by experts in three New England Journal of Medicine commentaries...

Friday Apr 13, 2007
FDA Panel Rejects Merck's Arcoxia By 20-to-1 Vote
Citing increased cardiovascular risks, an FDA advisory panel voted 20-to-1 against recommending approval of the COX-2 inhibitor ArcoxiaR (etoricoxib) for the treatment of osteoarthritis...

Friday Apr 13, 2007
Better Pain Management Urged for OA Patients Awaiting Hip or Knee Replacement in U.K.
Most patients on waiting lists for hip or knee replacement in Britain, report continuing, severe pain and suboptimal levels of analgesia...

Wednesday Apr 11, 2007
La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company to Net Approximately $38 Million in Public Offering


La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, announced the receipt of estimated aggregate net proceeds of approximately $38 million from the recently completed underwritten public offering of 5,800,000 shares of its common stock, including the expected proceeds from an exercised overallotment option to the underwriters to purchase an additional 870,000 shares...

Thursday Apr 05, 2007
More Evidence Points Toward Safety of Anti-TNF Drugs During Pregnancy
Three recent case reports add to an accumulating body of evidence that the TNF-blockers are safe during pregnancy, but one new report is far from the final word on the issue...

Monday Apr 02, 2007
News Analysis: New FDA Conflict-of-Interest Guidelines May Impact Advisory Committees
FDA is moving to tighten financial conflict-of-interest guidelines for members of FDA advisory committees, despite evidence that excluding participants with such interests would have had no impact on the vote outcomes of prior meetings…

Thursday Mar 22, 2007
New Studies Urge Closer Monitoring for JIA-Related Uveitis, TNF-Inhibitors Effective For Difficult Cases

New studies report that uveitis occurs in up to 20% of JIA patients, that TNF-inhibitors may be effective in hard-to-treat cases, and that close monitoring for uveitis should continue even during arthritis remissions...

Tuesday Mar 20, 2007
CYC Better Than AZA for Lupus Nephritis; Repeat Renal Biopsy Adds Little Useful Data
Azathioprine/methylprednisolone is inferior to pulse cyclophosphamide (CYC) for proliferative lupus nephritis...

Tuesday Mar 20, 2007
POZEN Reports Positive Outcome for "Safer Aspirin" PA 325 Proof-of-Concept Study
POZEN Inc, a pharmaceutical company developing products for the treatment of acute and chronic pain, announced positive results of its "Safer Aspirin" PA 325 proof-of-concept study conducted during the fourth quarter of 2006...

Tuesday Mar 20, 2007
Two-Year BeSt Data Confirm Benefits of Early Combo DMARDs for Early RA, Highlight Importance of Tight Control and Individualized Treatment
Two-year data from the BeSt trial support initial combination therapy, changed as needed to sustain DAS <2.4, as most effective for preventing progression of early RA...

Monday Mar 19, 2007
Joint Damage Continues in Some RA Patients Despite Sustained Clinical Remission
Radiologic damage may progress in some RA patients who meet standard criteria for clinical remission. This radiologic damage is independent of joint inflammation, and absence of progression should be added to remission criteria in RA...

Thursday Mar 15, 2007
Growing Conflict-of-Interest Concerns Drive Demands for International Registration of All Clinical Trials
Growing evidence of a correlation between industry sponsorship of clinical trials and reported outcomes favorable to the sponsor are driving demands for an international clinical trials registration system that would include data beginning with phase I studies and continuing through completion of phase III trials...

Tuesday Mar 13, 2007
Less Use of Diuretics, Earlier Hypouricemic Therapy Urged In Renal Transplant Patients At Risk for Recurrent Gout
Up to 23% of renal transplant recipients develop gout posttransplant but most are not getting hypouricemic therapy, even when they report recurrent gout attacks...

Friday Mar 09, 2007
La Jolla Pharmaceutical Reports Positive Interim Antibody Results From Riquent® Lupus Phase III Trial; Results Imply Greater Probability of Clinical Benefit in the Treatment of Lupus Renal Disease as a Trial Outcome
La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, announced positive interim antibody results from its ongoing double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized phase III trial of Riquent® (abetimus sodium), its drug candidate for the treatment of renal disease in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Monday Mar 05, 2007
La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company Implements Several Modifications and Updates Status of  Phase III Riquent® Study for the Treatment of Lupus Renal Disease
La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company (SAN DIEGO, California) announced its continued progress in enrolling patients in its phase III clinical trial of Riquent® (abetimus sodium) for the treatment of lupus renal disease.

Monday Mar 05, 2007
AAN Therapeutics Panel Discourages Use of Epidural Steroid Injections for Radicular Low Back or Cervical Pain
The American Academy of Neurology's therapeutics and technology assessment subcommittee cautions against use of epidural steroid injections for radicular lumbosacral pain and concludes that there is insufficient evidence to make any recommendation for radicular cervical pain...

Monday Mar 05, 2007
New Study Suggests MRI Might Be Alternative to Radiographic JSW as Efficacy Measure for Osteoarthritis Drugs
Radiographic JSW remains the gold standard for assessing progression of knee OA in clinical trials, but new research suggests that MRI might be a reasonable alternative...

Tuesday Feb 27, 2007
GSK Reports Clinical Trial Observation of an Increased Incidence of Fractures in Female Patients Who Received Long-Term Treatment with Avandia (rosiglitazone maleate) Tablets for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) informs healthcare providers of recent safety data concerning rosiglitazone-containing products, ie, Avandia® (rosiglitazone maleate) tablets, AvandametR (rosiglitazone maleate and metformin hydrochloride) tablets, and Avandarylâ„¢ (rosiglitazone maleate and glimepiride) tablets...

Tuesday Feb 20, 2007
Subset of Early RA Patients Seems Doomed to Progression Regardless of Treatment
Some patients with recent-onset RA who are RF-positive, are anti-CCP-positive, or have a high cumulative amount of disease activity are likely to have rapid progression despite aggressive treatment...

Tuesday Feb 20, 2007
Suspect CVID if Lupus Patients Have Recurrent Sinus Infections
Rheumatologists should suspect CVID in lupus patients with recurrent sinopulmonary infections in the absence of lupus activity and/or immunosuppressive treatment. Treatment with gammaglobulins may be highly effective for this rare but potentially deadly disease...

Tuesday Feb 13, 2007
Wider Use of Spinal Cord Stimulation for Axial LBP Urged at Pain Medicine Meeting
Spinal cord stimulation is effective for axial low back pain (LBP) as well as for radiculopathy and should be more widely used for pain relief in LBP patients who have persistent pain associated with failed back surgery syndrome...

Monday Feb 12, 2007
Etoricoxib Reduces Mild but Not Serious GI Events Versus Diclofenac
The gradual return of the coxibs gained traction this week with a report in The Lancet that etoricoxib produced significantly fewer upper GI clinical events than diclofenac in RA or OA patients in the randomized MEDAL program studies...

Tuesday Feb 06, 2007
Promising Results From Pilot Study of Tacrolimus for Lupus Nephritis
A test of tacrolimus in six lupus patients with persistent proteinuria despite the resolution of acute proliferative nephritis reports encouraging improvements in proteinuria and in hypoalbuminemia, particularly in patients with membranous lupus nephritis...

Wednesday Jan 31, 2007
New Model Predicts Risk of RA
A newly developed, easy-to-use prediction rule may help rheumatologists determine which patients with undifferentiated arthritis (UA) will progress to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and require early, aggressive treatment...

Monday Jan 29, 2007
MediGene Initiates Phase IIa Clinical Trial of RhuDex®, an Oral Inhibitor of T-cell Activation, in RA
MediGene AG (MARTINSRIED/MUNICH, Germany), the publicly-held biotechnology company targeting autoimmune diseases and cancer announced the initiation of a phase IIa clinical trial of its drug candidate RhuDex®, a novel, orally bioavailable inhibitor of T-cell costimulation via the CD80-CD28 pathway, in patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Thursday Jan 25, 2007
TNF Inhibitors May Protect Against Several Types of RA Cardiovascular Risk
RA patients treated with TNF inhibitors might also gain some protection against CV morbidity and mortality...

Tuesday Jan 23, 2007
Can the Web Help Doctors Get RA Patients Moving? Maybe
RA patients randomized to an individualized, Internet-based exercise program report more physical activity than those given general exercise information, but the electronic monitor does not confirm their reports...

Wednesday Jan 17, 2007
Genzyme's Cerezyme Improves Bone Mineral Density in Patients With Type 1 Gaucher Disease
Genzyme Corporation (CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts) announced that long-term use of Cerezyme® (imiglucerase for injection) significantly improves bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with Type 1 Gaucher disease in a dose-dependent manner. Cerezyme, an enzyme replacement therapy, is the standard of care for patients with Type 1 Gaucher disease who are at increased risk for developing bone complications, including osteopenia, osteoporosis, and fractures...

Tuesday Jan 16, 2007
FDA Sets New Rule on Calcium/Vitamin D Osteoporosis Claims for Food, Diet Supplement Labeling
The FDA will permit a new "calcium plus vitamin D" claim in food and dietary supplement labeling for reducing the risk of osteoporosis and will shorten the required label in the hope that more dairy, juice, and other products that qualify will put it on their packaging, thus increasing consumer awareness...

Tuesday Jan 09, 2007
Small Study Highlights Role for Etanercept in Rheumatological Manifestations of HCV
Etanercept seems to be safe and effective for the treatment of rheumatological manifestations associated with hepatitis virus C, but more studies are needed before firm  conclusions can be drawn...

Wednesday Dec 20, 2006
GlaxoSmithKline and Genmab Enter Exclusive Global Agreement for HuMax-CD20, a B-cell Depletion Agent; Deal Potentially Worth US$2.1 Billion
GlaxoSmithKline plc and Genmab A/S announced a worldwide agreement to codevelop and commercialize HuMax-CD20â„¢ (ofatumumab), a fully human monoclonal IgG1antibody targeting the CD20 antigen on the surface of B cells and currently in phase II clinical trial development for active rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and in late-stage development for CD20 positive B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) and follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).

Thursday Dec 14, 2006
Transcranial Electrostim Reduces Pain, Confirms Fibromyalgia as a Central Pain Syndrome
Noninvasive transcranial direct current stimulation can relieve fibromyalgia pain, pilot study shows...

Thursday Dec 14, 2006
Genmab Sees Positive Interim Data for HuMax-CD20 Phase II in Rheumatoid Arthritis; Starts Planning Phase III Studies
Genmab A/S, a human antibody therapeutics company, announced positive results from an interim analysis of the first 100 patients in the ongoing phase II rheumatoid arthritis (RA) study of HuMAX-CD20 (ofatumumab), a fully human monoclonal IgG1 antibody targeting the CD20 antigen on B-cells and currently in clinical development as a treatment for active RA, as well as for chronic lymphocytic leukemia and follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Wednesday Dec 13, 2006
RA Remission Often Accompanied by Silent Synovitis
The majority of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who meet ACR remission criteria still have synovitis detectable on MRI or ultrasound...

Wednesday Dec 13, 2006
Massage May Be Just What the Doctor Ordered for Pain of Knee OA
Swedish massage therapy may help decrease pain and improve function among patients with knee osteoarthritis...

Wednesday Dec 06, 2006
Serum MMP-3 May Be Biomarker of Joint Damage in AS, MRI Accuracy Questioned
Measuring serum levels of metalloproteinase 3 (MMP3) may be an inexpensive yet accurate way for rheumatologists to predict which AS patients will develop joint damage, particularly in those with pre-existing radiographic damage...

Friday Dec 01, 2006
Registry Study Says RA Biologics Raise Odds of Melanomas and Skin Cancers, Not Other Malignancies

The latest attempt to sort out the relationship between TNF inhibitors and cancer risk in RA patients found no increase in overall cancer risk, but substantial increases in melanoma and nonmelanomatous skin cancer rates in patients treated with these agents...Wolfe F, et al. Presented at: ACR 2006 Meeting.

Wednesday Nov 29, 2006
KaloBios Initiates Phase I Clinical Trial of Anti-GM-CSF Antibody for Rheumatoid Arthritis
KaloBios Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a privately-held clinical development company focused on the development of therapeutic antibodies, announced that it has begun treating patients in a phase I clinical trial of its investigational rheumatoid arthritis (RA) therapeutic, KB002, an engineered chimeric human monoclonal antibody targeting the cytokine growth factor, granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF).

Wednesday Nov 29, 2006
Source MDx Awarded SBIR Phase I Grant; Will Collaborate with Tufts-New England Medical Center to Develop Biomarkers to Predict Responders and Nonresponders to Anti-TNF Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Source MDx, a molecular diagnostics company, and Tufts-New England Medical Center (NEMC) announced a collaboration to investigate the clinical use of RNA-based molecular diagnostic tests to monitor rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease status and response to therapy.

Monday Nov 27, 2006
Rituximab in RA
Rituximab prevents joint damage, can be given repeatedly, and does not block response to influenza vaccine in RA patients... Presented at ACR 2006 Meeting.

Wednesday Nov 22, 2006
Still No Final Word on Diskectomy vs Nonoperative Treatment for HNP
New data show no dramatic difference between diskectomy and nonoperative management of lumbar disk herniation—suggesting that individual patient preferences should play a major role in choice of treatment— and that there is no great risk in delaying surgery.

Tuesday Nov 21, 2006
Study Helps Explain Why Smoking Slows Ligament and Bone Healing
Smoking cigarettes delays cartilage formation in healing bone fractures and slows type I collagen production and recruitment of cells linked to healing of torn ligaments…

Wednesday Nov 15, 2006
Three-Year BeSt Results Suggest MTX Plus Infliximab Can Move Some RA Patients Into Drug-Free Remission
Three-year results from the BeSt study suggest that early induction therapy with infliximab plus MTX can bring about remission in RA patients…Van Der Kooij SM, et al. Presented at: ACR 2006 Meeting. 

Tuesday Nov 14, 2006
Single Nucleotide Change in IL-4 Receptor Gene Predicts Rapidly Erosive RA
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.

Tuesday Nov 14, 2006
PROMPT Study Shows "Window of Opportunity" in Early Undifferentiated Arthritis
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.

Thursday Nov 09, 2006
Novartis' Prexige Cleared for Approval in EU for Patients with Osteoarthritic Pain
Novartis announced that PrexigeR (lumiracoxib), an oral selective COX-2 inhibitor anti-inflammatory drug, has been cleared for approval in the European Union (EU) as a new treatment option for patients suffering from osteoarthritis (OA).

Tuesday Nov 07, 2006
Study IDs Predictors of Poor Outcome in Enthesitis-Related Arthritis
Enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA) patients tend to have worse outcomes than children  with other subtypes of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Predictors of poor outcome include family history of related diseases, the presence of HLA-DRB1*08, the absence of a protective HLA subtype, and persistently elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)…

Monday Nov 06, 2006
Risedronate Does Not Slow OA Progression or Decrease Pain But May Affect Cartilage Degradation
No effect on OA progression, signs, or symptoms seen in 2-year risedronate study...

Friday Nov 03, 2006
MTX Bests Sulfasalazine as DMARD of First Choice for Inflammatory Polyarthritis
Five-year data show that methotrexate and sulfasalazine have similar clinical effects as first DMARD in patients with inflammatory polyarthritis, but methotrexate is more effective at preventing radiological erosions...

Thursday Nov 02, 2006
RCT Supports Acupuncture Benefit in Knee, Hip OA
Acupuncture combined with usual medical care results in improvements in both pain and quality of life among patients with chronic knee and hip osteoarthritis (OA) compared with routine care alone...

Monday Oct 23, 2006
Etanercept/MTX Uncouple Inflammation and Joint Destruction in RA
RA patients treated with etanercept plus methotrexate have less radiographic progression of joint damage than patients who take either drug alone, even if they continue to have inflammation or other makers of active disease....

Thursday Oct 19, 2006
Conventional strength training program has little effect on knee OA progression
Conventional strength training exercises have little effect on progression of knee osteoarthritis... Mikesky AE, et al. Arthritis Care & Research 2006;55:690-693.

Monday Oct 16, 2006
Potassium Citrate Supplements Increase Bone Mass
Potassium citrate supplements might help postmenopausal women with osteopenia increase their bone mineral density (BMD)... Jehle S, et al. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2006;17:3213–3222.

Thursday Oct 05, 2006
Little Gained From Combining Etanercept and Sulfasalazine in RA
Patients whose RA is active despite treatment with sulfasalazine benefit from switching to etanercept, but combining the two drugs provides little additional benefit... Combe B, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2006;65:1357-1362.

Monday Oct 02, 2006
La Jolla Pharmaceutical to Expand Number of Clinical Trial Sites for Its Phase III International Trial of Riquent for the Treatment of Lupus Renal Disease
La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company (SAN DIEGO, Calif.), a biotechnology company developing therapeutics for antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases and inflammation, announced  progress and the expansion of its phase III trial of Riquent® (abetimus sodium, previously referred to as LJP 394) for the treatment of lupus renal disease, a leading cause of sickness and death in patients with lupus.

Friday Sep 29, 2006
Amgen to Acquire Avidia Including Its Phase I Clinical Stage Interleukin-6 Inhibitor and Novel Avimer Protein Platform
Amgen announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Amgen has agreed to acquire Avidia, a privately held biopharmaceutical company located in Mountain View, Calif., that discovers and develops a new class of human therapeutic known as Avimerâ„¢ (from avidity multimers) proteins.

Friday Sep 29, 2006
US Docs Question RCT of Meniscus Repair Arrow, Norwegians Persevere
Rigid, bioabsorbable internal tacks have become popular for repairing meniscus tears, but problems identified with longer follow-up are leading many US orthopedists to shift to suture-based approaches. The arrow will be compared with a newer suture-based system in a Norwegian randomized clinical trial... Gifstad T, et al. Am J Sports Med. 2006;14 September 2006 [Epub ahead of print].

Tuesday Sep 26, 2006
New Markers Predict Lupus Kidney, Heart Risks
Cholesterol, homocysteine, and hs-CRP show promise as markers for elevated risk in lupus patients. Tisseverasinghe A, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2006; 54:2211-2219; Von Feldt JM, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2006; 54:2220-2227; Karadag O, et al. Clin Rheumatol. 2006; [Epub ahead of print]

Monday Sep 25, 2006
NSAIDs Linked to Acute MI Risk Similar to Coxibs
The risk of acute MI is increased by most nonselective NSAIDs about as much as by the coxibs, and both should be used cautiously in patients who have other cardiovascular risk factors...

Thursday Sep 21, 2006
Avidia Initiates Clinical Trial of Avimerâ„¢ C326, an Inhibitor of Interleukin-6, for Crohn's Disease
vidia, Inc., a privately-held biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing a new class of small, assembled human therapeutic proteins called Avimersâ„¢ (from avidity multimers), announced that it has initiated dosing of the first patient for a phase I clinical trial of its Avimer drug candidate C326, an inhibitor of interleukin-6 (IL-6), for the treatment of Crohn's disease.

Tuesday Sep 19, 2006
Ibuprofen After Hip Replacement Does More Harm Than Good
The common practice of taking ibuprofen after total hip replacement reduces ectopic bone formation but has no significant effect on pain or function and doubles the risk of serious bleeding complications. Frasen M, et al. BMJ. 2006; 2 Aug 2006 [Epub ahead of print]

Thursday Sep 07, 2006
First Trimester NSAID Use Raises Risk of Birth Defects
Women who use NSAIDs during the first trimester of pregnancy are significantly more likely to bear children with congenital heart problems or other birth defects... Ofori B, et al. Birth Defects Research (Part B). 21 August 2006 [Epub ahead of print]

Thursday Sep 07, 2006
Overall Lupus Mortality Drops, but SLE Cardiovascular Death Rates Increase
As death rates continue to plummet in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), physicians need to treat cardiovascular symptoms aggressively while balancing the need for immune suppressant therapy against the risk of fatal infection... Bernatsky S, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2006;54:2550-2557

Monday Aug 28, 2006
Etanercept Maintains Clinical Benefit for Patients Who Must Drop Infliximab
Patients who respond to infliximab but must discontinue due to side effects maintain clinical benefit if switched to etanercept...

Thursday Aug 24, 2006
Apparent Changes in Joint Space Often Due to Changes in the Meniscus
New research suggesting that alterations in the meniscus contribute a large proportion to variations in joint space narrowing (JSN) may have ramifications for how clinical trials of disease modifying osteoarthritis drugs are conducted... Hunter DJ, et al. Arthritis Rheum.  2006;54:2488-2495.

Wednesday Aug 23, 2006
Genzyme Files for European Approval to Expand Label for Synvisc in Ankle and Shoulder Indications
Genzyme Corp. announced that it has filed with the European authority to expand the continuing education mark for Synvisc® (hylan G-F 20) to include treatment of pain due to osteoarthritis (OA) of the ankle and shoulder...

Friday Aug 18, 2006
Merck Loses in Latest Vioxx Decisions
Merck lost in federal court and had a win in state court reversed in the latest round of Vioxx litigation.

Thursday Aug 17, 2006
Superagonist Trial Hit By Cytokine Storm
The six patients who nearly died in a phase I trial of an experimental anti-CD28 monoclonal antibody being developed as a rheumatoid arthritis treatment were injured by "cytokine storms" triggered by the new drug, and the head of the intensive care unit where their lives were saved thinks this demonstrates that a new approach to testing biologic agents is needed....Suntharalingam G, et al. N Engl J Med. 2006; August 14; [Epub ahead of print].

Friday Aug 11, 2006
Fish Oil Reduces CV Risk Factors, NSAID Requirements in RA Patients
Two tablespoons of fish oil per day significantly improved some cardiovascular risk factors and reduced NSAID requirements in patients with rheumatoid arthritis... Cleland LG, et al. J Rheumatol. 2006 Aug 01; [Epub ahead of print]

Thursday Aug 03, 2006
British Registry Data Show Safety of First-Trimester TNF Inhibitor Exposure, Safety of Later Use Still Unclear
Data from a British registry of TNF inhibitor users suggest that brief exposure to TNF inhibitors during the first trimester of pregnancy is not harmful either to women who inadvertently become pregnant while taking these drugs or to their babies, but raise questions about safety in later pregnancy... Hyrich KL, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2006;54:2701-2702.

Wednesday Aug 02, 2006
Fear of Pain Robs Arthritis Patients of Chance for Pain-Relieving Exercise
Fear of pain is a major reason people with arthritis avoid exercise, and many are unaware that regular exercise can reduce pain and prevent disability. …Wilcox, S, et al. Arthritis Care Res. August 2006; DOI: 10.1002/art.22098

Thursday Jul 20, 2006
Bioengineered Cartilage Successfully Transplanted in Osteoarthritic Knees
Cells taken from areas of healthy cartilage can be grown on hyaluronic acid scaffolds and used to patch damaged knees, even joints that have already progressed to osteoarthritis....Hollander AP,  et al. Tissue Engineering 2006;12:1-12.

Monday Jul 17, 2006
Relative Risk for CVD Highest in Young RA Patients
The relative risk of cardiovascular (CV) events in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients is highest among young patients and those without a history of prior events, but the absolute risk  is greatest among older patients…Solomon DH, et al. Ann Rheum Dis; published online June 22, 2006.

Friday Jul 14, 2006
Researchers Map the Genetic Substrate of RA
Two new reports on genetics and RA show that a mutation in the PTPN22 gene not only increases RA susceptibility but hastens disease progression and that development of RA is associated with altered expression of disease-associated genes, apparently in response to environmental or other nongenetic factors. Lie B, et al. EULAR 2006; Haas CS, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2006;54:2047-2060.

Wednesday Jul 12, 2006
Foot Orthoses Produce Short-Term Benefits in Plantar Fasciitis
Foot orthoses can improve pain and function from plantar fasciitis in the short-term, but the effects don't seem to last a year…Landorf, KB, et al. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:1305-1310.

Friday Jun 30, 2006
Consider Disease Duration in Comparing Functional Outcomes of RA Treatment
Measures of physical function such as the HAQ become less responsive to treatment effects with increasing duration of RA, so disease duration should be considered in comparing functional outcomes of different treatments...Aletaha D. 2006 EULAR Meeting.

Tuesday Jun 27, 2006
Questions About Hand OA Radiography Raised at EULAR
New radiographic standards for hand OA are needed. ...Watt I. EULAR 2006 Meeting' June 21-24, 2006, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Abstract SP0059.

Thursday Jun 22, 2006
EULAR Lupus Guidelines Make the Best of Sparse Data
While EULAR experts agree on the best treatment of SLE and recommend an integrated approach to medical care, the lupus task force also warns of a worrying lack of evidence on the benefits of lifestyle modifications and the impact of primary preventive measures... Boumpas D. 2006 EULAR Meeting.

Thursday Jun 15, 2006
Alendronate More Cost-Effective Than Teriparatide
Teriparatide could become cost-effective if its price were reduced by 60 percent, if it were given only to women with exceptionally low bone density, or if a 6-month course of teriparatide were as effective in preventing fractures at 2 years of treatment... Liu H, et al. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:1209-1217.

Wednesday Jun 14, 2006
MRI Reveals Little in Low Back Pain
Routine use of MRI in early episodes of low back pain is probably a mistake... Carragee E. Presented at: American Pain Society 25th Annual Meeting; May 3–6, 2006; San Antonio, Tex.

Monday Jun 05, 2006
PsA Enthesopathy As Cause of Plantar Fasciitis Responds to TNF Inhibitors
The TNF inhibitors infliximab and etanercept are both effective for the treatment of enthesopathy associated with psoriatic arthritis... Ritchlin CT. J Rheumatol. 15 May 2006; [Epub ahead of print]

Thursday May 25, 2006
Hyperosmolar Dextrose Sweetens Chronic Tendinosis

Ultrasound-guided hyperosmolar dextrose injections into tendon relieve chronic tendinosis... Maxwell NJ, Ryan M, Taunton JE, Wong A. Presented at: American Roentgen Ray Society 106th Annual Meeting; April 30–May 5; Vancouver, BC. Abstract 172.

Thursday May 11, 2006
Adding Zoledronic Acid Improves MTX Efficacy in Early RA
Zoledronic acid added to standard methotrexate treatment reduced the progression of MRI hand and wrist erosions by 61% in patients with early RA, apparently by inhibiting osteoclast activity... Jarrett AJ, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2006;54:1410-1414.

Thursday May 04, 2006
CV Risk With Vioxx Rises in First 60 Days
Rofecoxib (Vioxx) increases the risk of cardiovascular events, typically within the first 60 days of use, while naproxen reduces such risk, and other coxibs and nonselective NSAIDs have no effect... Solomon DH, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2006;54:1378-1389.

Wednesday Apr 26, 2006
TNF-alpha Inhibitors Increase Postop Infection Risk in RA Patients
The first systematic investigation linking TNF inhibitor therapy in RA to postoperative infections suggests that clinicians should consider interrupting anti-TNF treatment prior to orthopaedic surgery procedures... Giles JT, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2006;55:333-337

Friday Apr 14, 2006
Testing for Second-Generation Anti-CCP Antibodies in Patients With Early RA is Useful for Predicting Radiographic and Functional Outcomes
Anti-CCP antibodies are a useful diagnostic tool, particularly among seronegative rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. The presence of anti-CCP antibodies confers prognostic utility for radiographic and functional outcomes... Quinn MA, et al. Rheumatology. 2005;45:478-480.

Wednesday Mar 29, 2006
Synarc Granted Patent for Imaging Device to Increase the Accuracy of Cartilage Measurements by MRI and CT
Synarc, Inc, of San Francisco, California, announced the issuance of US patent No. 6,992,280 for a novel image calibration device...

Wednesday Mar 15, 2006
New Single-Blind Trial Suggests Potential Role for Combined Antibiotics in RA
Combined antibiotic therapy using intravenous clindamycin and oral tetracycline may be useful in the management of active rheumatoid arthritis... Gompels LL, et al. J Rheumatol. 2006;33:224-227.

Wednesday Mar 08, 2006
Acupuncture Provides Clinically Relevant Benefits for Chronic Low Back Pain
Acupuncture—either sham or real—is beneficial in treating patients with chronic low back pain... Brinkhaus B, et al. Arch Intern Med. 2006:166;450-457.

Wednesday Mar 01, 2006
Effects of IV Steroids for Treatment of Acute Sciatica Are Transient
Intravenous steroids reduce pain in patients with severe acute discogenic sciatica, although the improvement is small and transient... Finckh A, et al. Spine. 2006;31:377-381.

Thursday Feb 23, 2006
GAIT Results Show No Benefit of Glucosamine With Chondroitin for Treatment of Osteoarthritis
Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate alone or in combination did not reduce pain in the overall group of patients with knee osteoarthritis, although the supplements in combination may be effective in the subgroup of patients with moderate-to-severe pain... Clegg DO, et al. N Engl J Med. 2006;354:795-808.

Monday Feb 06, 2006
Explicit Appropriateness Criteria Predicts Joint Replacement Success

Knee and hip arthroplasty patients who were considered appropriate candidates for joint replacement surgeries fared better than those who were considered inappropriate candidates, according to new research seeking to identify the best criteria for total knee and hip replacement... Quintana JM, et al. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:220-226.

Wednesday Feb 01, 2006
Stem Cell Transplantation Shows Promise in Treatment-Resistant Lupus
Autologous nonmyeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation ameliorates disease activity, improves serologic markers, and stabilizes or reverses organ dysfunction in about half of patients with treatment-refractory systemic lupus erythematosus... Burt RK, et al. JAMA. 2006;295:527-535.

Wednesday Jan 25, 2006
Insurance Coverage May Influence How TNF-Alpha Inhibitors Are Prescribed
A new observational study of the TNF-α inhibitors infliximab and etanercept has found that Medicare patients with RA are 30% more likely to receive infliximab than those covered by private insurance, findings that suggest that reimbursement policies may drive physicians' prescribing decisions independent of efficacy. However, the emergence of Medicare Part D prescription coverage may change prescribing behavior to favor self-injectable drugs... DeWitt EM, et al. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:57-63.

Wednesday Jan 18, 2006
Study Examines Most Effective Way to Give Steroid Boost for Mild to Moderate Lupus Flares
Intramuscular triamcinolone and oral methylprednisolone are equally effective at managing mild to moderate flares in lupus, but triamcinolone may lead to a more rapid response... Danowski A, et al. J Rheumatol. 2006;33:57-60.

Thursday Jan 12, 2006
Three Months of Bosentan Therapy Improves Function in SSc-PAH Patients
Three Months of Bosentan Therapy Improves Function in SSc-PAH Patients

Monday Jan 09, 2006
Yoga Superior to Self-Care Book or Regular Exercise for Low Back Pain
Yoga is more effective than either instruction from a self-care book or a traditional exercise program at improving function and reducing medication use among patients with chronic low back pain. Sherman KJ, et al. Ann Intern Med. 2005;143:849-856.

Thursday Jan 05, 2006
New Study Suggests Raloxifene May Benefit Women with Knee Osteoarthritis
A recent study of women with knee osteoarthritis (OA) found that treatment with raloxifene resulted in a statistically significant decrease in the excretion of key markers of cartilage degradation, pointing to the potential curative effect of this agent and long-term improved outcomes for patients with knee OA... Daniluk S, et al. Presented at: 10th World Congress of the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI); December 8–11, 2005; Boston, Mass. Abstract P67.

Wednesday Jan 04, 2006
Outcomes of RA Patients Presenting with Undifferentiated Arthritis Same as Those Presenting with RA

Since patients who present with undifferentiated arthritis (UA) that evolves into rheumatoid arthritis within 1 year tend to have the same disease outcome as patients who present with RA, a new study suggests that it may be beneficial to treat UA patients with DMARDs... van Aken J, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2006:65:20-25.

Tuesday Dec 20, 2005
KineMed Develops Assays for In Vivo Measurements of Cell and Matrix Molecule Turnover in OA

KineMed, Inc, of Emeryville, California, has announced that its proprietary stable isotope labeling and ultrasensitive mass spectrometry techniques have enabled researchers to measure cell proliferation...

Monday Dec 19, 2005
Oral Contraceptives Safe in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Taken together, two new prospective studies demonstrate that oral contraceptives (OCs) are safe in women with systemic lupus erythematosus and may represent a paradigm shift in the thinking and clinical practice of rheumatologists who historically have been reluctant to prescribe OCs and other hormones for these patients…Petri M, et al. N Engl J Med. 2005;353:2450-2461; Sánchez-Guerrero J, et al. N Engl J Med. 2005;353:2539-2549.

Sunday Dec 18, 2005
Etanercept May Be Effective for the Depression and Fatigue of Psoriasis
A new phase III trial has found that the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) inhibitor etanercept not only improves the clinical manifestations of psoriasis but also relieves the fatigue and depression associated with the disease. The findings point to the role higher concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α have in major depressive symptoms…. Tyring S, et al. Lancet [serial online]. December 15, 2005.

Friday Dec 16, 2005
Novel Gout Drug Febuxostat More Effective Than Allopurinol in Lowering Urate Levels
New data from a phase III trial show that febuxostat, a next-generation nonpurine selective xanthine oxidase inhibitor and the first new agent for gout in 40 years, is significantly more effective than standard doses of allopurinol in lowering serum uric acid levels to <6.0 mg/dL... Becker MA, et al. N Engl J Med. 2005;353:2450-2461.

Wednesday Dec 14, 2005
New England Journal of Medicine Editors Call for Correction of VIGOR Trial
In response to the revelation that three additional myocardial infarctions were withheld from the original Vioxx® GI Outcomes Research (VIGOR) trial submitted to the New England Journal of Medicine, the editors of the journal have called into question the integrity of the data and requested that the authors submit a correction to account for the "inaccuracies and deletions" in the original published article...Curfman GD, et al. N Engl J Med. 2005;353:2813-2814.

Monday Dec 05, 2005
Trials Demonstrate That Earlier Use of DMARDs and MTX Improve Juvenile Arthritis Outcomes 
Earlier use of second-line medications such as methotrexate or disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in juvenile arthritis may account for the improved outcomes that rheumatologists have observed in recent years…  Presented at: Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology; November 12–17, 2005; San Diego, Calif. Abstract 126.

Friday Dec 02, 2005
Study Highlights Risks, Better Outcomes for Pregnant Patients With Lupus/RA
Although pregnancy outcomes for women with systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis have improved considerably as a result of careful monitoring throughout gestation, this group of patients still faces a higher risk of pregnancy-related complications, including poor intrauterine growth restriction and preeclampsia, and also has longer hospital stays than women in the general population... Presented at: Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology; November 12–17, 2005; San Diego, Calif. Abstract 991.

Friday Dec 02, 2005
New Gout Drug PEG-Uricase May Benefit Severe, Refractory Patients
A new study has found that multiple doses of PEG-uricase, a novel polyethylene glycol conjugate of porcine uricase (urate oxidase), has shown substantial and sustained reductions in plasma urate levels in patients with severe, refractory gout... Presented at: Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology; November 12–17, 2005; San Diego, Calif. Abstract 1836.

Tuesday Nov 29, 2005
Leading Rheumatologists Sound Off on Limitations of GAIT Study
The initial results of the $14 million National Institutes of Health Glucosamine/Chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial failed to show any real benefit for patients with mild-to-moderate knee osteoarthritis, leaving many rheumatologists in a quandary about what they should tell patients regarding the use of these readily available supplements... Clegg DO, et al. Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology; November 12–17, 2005; San Diego, Calif. Abstract 622.

Tuesday Nov 29, 2005
Mycophenolate Mofetil (MMF) More Effective Than Cyclophosphamide in Lupus Nephritis
Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), an immunosuppressive agent approved for the prevention of transplant rejection, may emerge as an effective alternative to IV cyclophosphamide, the current standard of care for lupus nephritis patients... Ginzler, EM, et al. N Engl J Med. 2005;353:2219-2228.

Thursday Nov 17, 2005
A 35-Year Look at SLE: Lower Mortality and Milder Disease at Presentation
Despite the absence of a new therapy for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in the past 30 years, mortality from SLE and disease activity at presentation are declining—findings that may be attributed in part to the greater use of immunosuppressive agents and lower steroid doses... Urowitz MB, et al. Presented at: Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology; November 12–17, 2005; San Diego, Calif.

Thursday Nov 17, 2005
Study Results Question "Window of Opportunity" Hypothesis for RA
Contradicting a widely held belief about treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), early use of disease-modifying therapy within 4 months of diagnosis had no apparent impact on the disease course... Presented at: Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology; November 12–17, 2005; San Diego, Calif

Wednesday Nov 16, 2005
Long-Term Follow-Up Results Show Durable RA Responses with Abatacept
Abatacept, the selective co-stimulation modulator of T-cell activation, has demonstrated sustained clinical benefit during 18 months of treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who had inadequate responses to anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha (anti-TNF-α) therapy... Presented at: Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology; November 12–17, 2005; San Diego, Calif.

Wednesday Nov 16, 2005
REFLEX Trial Demonstrates Efficacy of Rituximab in RA Resistant to Anti-TNF Therapy
Rituximab, an anti-CD20+ B-cell-targeted monoclonal antibody with an established therapeutic record in the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, has shown statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who are refractory to anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) therapy... Presented at: Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology; November 12–17, 2005; San Diego, Calif.

Monday Nov 07, 2005
Underpowered Randomized Clinical Trials Common in Rheumatology
A new literature review reports that underpowered randomized clinical trials (RCTs), which have been criticized as unethical and inadequate tests of an underlying hypothesis, accounted for approximately 21% of phase III RCTs of adult rheumatologic diseases published in English during 2001–2002 ... Keen HI, et al. J Rheum. 2005;32:2083-2088.

Friday Nov 04, 2005
BeSt Study Reinforces Importance of Aggressive Combination Therapy for Early RA
The latest results from the BeSt study show that initial combination therapy with either prednisone or infliximab resulted in earlier functional improvement and less radiographic damage after 1 year among early rheumatoid arthritis patients when compared with either sequential monotherapy or step-up combination therapy... Goekoop-Ruiterman YPM, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2005;52:3381–3390.

Monday Oct 31, 2005
Meta-Analysis Points to the Need to Customize Treatment for Subtypes of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
With the increased recognition that radiologic joint and cartilage damage occurs earlier in the course of juvenile idiopathic arthritis than originally thought, a recently released literature review underlines the importance of taking a customized approach to treatment of the disease. However, despite treatment advances, researchers argue that there is no evidence-based consensus on the optimal treatment regimen for several subtypes of JIA. Hashkes PJ, Laxer RM. JAMA. 2005;294:1671-1684.

Friday Oct 07, 2005
Marked Decrease in Pregnancy Loss Seen in Women with Lupus

Largely due to improvements in perinatal monitoring and disease management, there has been a significant decrease in pregnancy loss among women with systemic lupus erythematosus over the past 40 years . . . Clark CA, et al. J Rheumatol. 2005;32:1709-1712.

Monday Sep 19, 2005
A Leading Rheumatologist Reflects on How Cyclooxygenase Became a Household Word
Just as it appeared that the dust from the great COX-2 controversies had begun to settle, a jury in Texas awarded a plaintiff a judgment against Merck & Co for one quarter of a billion dollars - indeed, for a death that, arguably, was not Vioxx-related.

Thursday Sep 01, 2005
RA May Be Becoming Milder With Time
New research suggests that rheumatoid arthritis may have become a milder disease in recent years, perhaps due to more aggressive treatment... Welsing PMJ, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2005;52:2616-2624.

Monday Aug 29, 2005
Short-Term Acupuncture Found to Relieve the Pain, Fatigue, and Anxiety of Fibromyalgia
Following the results of a study indicating that acupuncture has no effect on fibromyalgia (FM), new research suggests that short-term acupuncture does improve symptoms of pain, fatigue, and anxiety in FM patients. Presented at the 11th World Congress of the International Association for the Study of Pain in Sydney, Australia...

Wednesday Aug 17, 2005
Elevated CRP May Predict Cardiovascular Disease Mortality in RA Patients
New research augments the growing body of evidence suggesting that the inflammation of RA causes premature atherosclerosis... Goodson NJ, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2005;52:2293-2299.

Thursday Aug 04, 2005
Scientists Develop New Technique to Grow Bone In Vivo
In a development that one day may revolutionize spinal and knee-replacement surgery and the treatment of osteoporosis, researchers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, have demonstrated for the first time that healthy new bone can be grown in one part of the body to repair bony defects at another location... Stevens MM, et al. In vivo engineering of organs: The bone bioreactor. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 2005; scheduled to appear online before print. Available at: http://www.pnas.org/.

Tuesday Jul 19, 2005
Acupuncture Provides Short-Term Benefits in Knee OA
Acupuncture improves pain and functioning in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA), but only in the short term... Witt C, et al. Lancet. 2005;366:136-143.

Friday Jul 08, 2005
Weight Loss Reduces Knee Joint Load
Losing just one pound results in a four-fold reduction in knee joint load in overweight and obese patients with OA of the knee... Messier SP, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2005;52:2026-2032.

Wednesday Jul 06, 2005
Radiological Grade, High Global Assessment, and Past NSAID Use Strongly Predictive of Hip OA Joint Replacement
Patients with OA of the hip who presented with a radiological grade of III or IV, a high mean global assessment during the first 6 months, and previous treatment with NSAIDs have a stronger likelihood of undergoing total hip replacement surgery... Ann Rheum Dis. 2005;64:1028-1032

Thursday Jun 30, 2005
Doxycycline Slows Osteoarthritis Disease Progression
New study results confirm preclinical data suggesting that doxycycline can slow joint space narrowing in the medial tibiofemoral compartment in knee osteoarthritis, but the common antibiotic did not affect pain...Brandt K, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2005;52:2015-2025

Wednesday Jun 22, 2005
Early Ankylosing Spondylitis Cohort Underscores Link Between Sustained Disease Activity and Progression
German Spondyloarthritis Inception Cohort (GESPIC) shows that sustained high disease activity during the early stages of AS, despite treatment with NSAIDs, may be an important prognostic indicator of disease progression, and may suggest a possible earlier role for TNF-blockade... Presented at: European Congress of Rheumatology of EULAR; June 8-11, 2005; Vienna, Austria.

Thursday Jun 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 Jun 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 Jun 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.

Friday Jun 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.

Thursday May 26, 2005
African-American and Hispanic Osteoarthritis Patients Less Likely Than Caucasians to Undergo Knee Replacement Surgery
These minority populations are significantly less likely to consider knee arthroplasty compared with their Caucasian counterparts regardless of health status, a finding that researchers attribute to differences in the perception of benefit, trust in the physician, and personal experience with the procedure...Suarez-Almazor ME, et al. Arch Intern Med. 2005;165:1117-1124.

Tuesday May 17, 2005
Study Suggests That Standardized Criteria Are Needed to Gauge Remission in RA
Rates of remission vary by criteria, but experts agree that new standards should include both clinical and radiographic measures. Mäkinen H, et al. J Rheumatol. 2005;32:796-800.

Monday May 16, 2005
Higher Doses of Vitamin D May Reduce Risk of Fractures in the Elderly
In contrast to several recently published studies showing that regular supplements of calcium and vitamin D may not effectively prevent fractures, a newly published meta-analysis found that large doses of vitamin D-taken with or without calcium-reduce the risk of nonvertebral fractures in the elderly...Bischoff-Ferrari HA, et al. JAMA. 2005;293:2257-2264

Tuesday May 10, 2005
Exercise Benefits Chronic, but Not Necessarily Acute Nonspecific Back Pain
Two meta-analyses reveal that for lower back pain lasting longer than 6 weeks, individualized exercise therapy programs are effective for reducing pain and improving function...Hayden, JA et al. Ann Intern Med. 2005;142:765-775

Friday May 06, 2005
Use of DMARDs and Referral to Rheumatologists Too Low in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients
A pre-biologic therapy era population study in British Columbia suggests that too few physicians are adhering to treatment guidelines for rheumatoid arthritis for early and aggressive intervention, delaying the "window of opportunity" when effective therapy can induce radiographic regression... Lacaille D, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2005;53:241-248.

Tuesday Apr 12, 2005
New Lupus Public Service Campaign Seeks to Raise Awareness and Speed Diagnosis
The Lupus Research Institute and other organizations hope the new campaign will alert patients to the often vague signs and symptoms of lupus earlier in the course of the disease...Lupus Research Institute [press release]. April 6, 2005.

Thursday Apr 07, 2005
FDA Orders Valdecoxib (Bextra) Withdrawn, Citing No Added Advantage
The agency also mandated black box warnings for celecoxib and stricter label warnings on traditional NSAIDs, including over-the-counter products... US Food and Drug Administration teleconference April 7, 2005.

Wednesday Mar 30, 2005
Cognitive-Behavioral Program Helps OA Patients Feel and Function Better
A self-management program that teaches goal setting, self-relaxation, and other behavioral measures improves pain and self-reported function in Dutch cohort... Heuts PH, et al. J Rheumatol 2005;32:543-549.

Sunday Mar 13, 2005
Markers of Systemic Inflammation May Be Independent Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Death in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis
A new study indicates that ESR may be predictive of CV mortality and suggests that tighter control of inflammation may help improve long-term outcomes for RA patients...Maradit-Kremers H, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2005;52:722-732.

Monday Mar 07, 2005
Latest Trial Results for Biologics in Psoriatic Arthritis
Highlighted results from the American Academy of Dermatology meeting confirm the efficacy of anti-TNF therapy in treating psoriatic arthritis...63rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, February18-22, 2005; New Orleans, La.

Wednesday Mar 02, 2005
B-vitamins Help Prevent Hip Fracture In Stroke Patients
Folate and vitamin B12 lower the risk of hip fracture in elderly patients following stroke, possibly due to a reduction in plasma homocysteine levels...Sato Y, et al. JAMA. 2005;293:1082-1088

Friday Feb 25, 2005
The Future of Spinal Surgery: Artificial Discs and Bone Growth Factors Show Promise
PCM cervical discs, Charité lumbar discs, and BMPs demonstrate improved outcomes and greater patient satisfaction as alternatives to traditional spinal fusion surgery...72nd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons; February 23, 2005.

Tuesday Feb 08, 2005
Rofecoxib but not other NSAIDs Increases Risk of Acute Myocardial Infarction Among Low-Risk Elderly Population
New research is consistent with the VIGOR and APPROVe trials, which led to drug's abrupt withdrawal, and suggests that cardiovascular side effects may not be a class effect & Levesque LE, et al. Ann Intern Med. 2005; 152:1-10.

Monday Jan 31, 2005
New Research Highlights Generation Gap, Ethnic Divide Among Chronic Pain Patients
While African Americans experience more pain and related negative effects than do caucasians, young adults across both ethnic groups do not cope as well with chronic pain as do their older counterparts...Baker TA, Green CR. Pain Med. 2005;6:29-38.

Friday Jan 21, 2005
The Promise and Peril of the Next Generation of COX-2 Inhibitors
CIAOMed continues its series on the impact of the withdrawal of rofecoxib (VioxxR) from the worldwide market. The first installment (CIAOMed.org; November 9, 2004) discussed possible mechanisms of the cardiovascular (CV) risk observed with rofecoxib, and whether they apply to other selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors. The second (CIAOMed.org; December 10, 2004) examined the impact of recent disclosures about COX-2s and CV risk on patient management. This third and final installment focuses on the clues to CV risk profiles of the second-generation COX-2 inhibitors and the role these newer drugs will play if they are approved for marketing in the US& Brune K, Hinz B. Scand J Rheumatol. 2004;33:1-6.

Friday Jan 21, 2005
Interpreting TARGET: Who Faces CV Risk?
Rheumatologists interviewed by CIAOMed express caution about the use of lumiracoxib and disagree with some of the interpretations of TARGET findings...Farkouh ME, et al.  Lancet. 2004;364:675-684.

Tuesday Dec 21, 2004
Cancer-Prevention Trial Reveals Elevated Cardiovascular Risk Associated With Celebrex
National Cancer Institute study results, which showed a heightened cardiovascular risk versus placebo among patients taking the COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib at up to 4 times higher than recommended doses, runs counter to recent evidence that the agent may have cardioprotective properties in some arthritis patients... Kimmel SE, et al. Ann Intern Med. 2005;142(3).

Thursday Dec 16, 2004
Pfizer's COX-2 Agent to Include Updated Risk Warnings on Label
The FDA announces important new information on risks of CV adverse events in some postsurgical cardiac patients and potentially life-threatening skin reactions associated with use of valdecoxib...US Food and Drug Administration. December 9, 2004.

Tuesday Dec 14, 2004
Comparative Trial Analyzes MI Risk Associated With Rofecoxib and Celecoxib
A new study that examines histories of analgesic use in recent MI patients revealed a significant difference in the levels of risk for MI associated with rofecoxib and celecoxib. The study concludes that this is due not to an increase in risk associated with rofecoxib, but rather to a significant decrease in risk in patients using celecoxib&Kimmel SE, et al. Ann Intern Med. 2005;142(3).

Monday Dec 13, 2004
New Studies Confirm Efficacy and Tolerability of Once Daily Lumiracoxib for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis
New clinical trials data on the efficacy and tolerability of lumiracoxib (PrexigeR) provide evidence that the selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor taken 100 mg daily offers reduced pain intensity in the target knee compared to placebo while improving the functional status of patients' osteoarthritis of the knee...Lehmann R, et al. Presented at: The 9th World Congress of the Osteoarthritis Research Society International; December 2-5 2004; Chicago, Illinois.

Tuesday Nov 23, 2004
Large National Survey Shows Importance of Anxiety Disorders in the Psychopathology of Pain Syndromes
Recent findings add to an emerging body of data suggesting that anxiety may have a stronger association with arthritis and other pain conditions than depression& McWilliams LA, et al. Pain. 2004;111:77-83.

Thursday Nov 18, 2004
Mexican Ancestry May Be Associated With Earlier Onset of Damage in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Hispanic patients with SLE who are living in Texas may be predisposed to a shorter time to initial damage, which is known to predispose to the accrual of further damage&Toloza SMA, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2004;3177-3186.

Monday Nov 15, 2004
New Approaches Show Promise in Refining Treatment and Assessment of SLE

Autologous stem cell transplant and rituximab show promise in refractory disease, and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate test may be more useful than CRP in showing disease activity... Alexander T et al. Presented at: Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology; October 19, 2004; San Antonio, Tex.

Tuesday Nov 09, 2004
COX-2s, Pain Relief, and Cardiovascular Risk: Where Do We Go From Here?
In the first of a 3-part series, CIAOMed will examine possible underlying mechanisms that may be responsible for elevated cardiovascular risk in select COX-2 inhibitors and whether such explanations extend to all coxibs. Subsequent installments will examine how to manage patients in light of the new reports and the future of this frequently used drug class... Simon LS, Strand V. Cleve Clin J Med. 2004;71:849-856.

Tuesday Nov 02, 2004
Patients' Readiness to Self-Manage Chronic Pain Associated With Improvement in Treatment Protocols and Coping Skills
Interventions to increase chronic pain patients' motivation is shown to increase patient engagement in pain treatment and contribute to improved long-term outcomes…Jensen MP, et al. Pain. 2004;111:84-95.

Wednesday Oct 27, 2004
Anti-TNF Drugs Appear to Show Benefits in Most Ankylosing Spondylitis Patients and May Also Improve Psoriatic Arthritis
Recent study findings indicate that ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis may respond well to infliximab, etanercept, and adalimumab... Rudwaleit M, Sieper J… Z Rheumatol. 2004;63:193-202.

Wednesday Oct 27, 2004
Anti-TNF Drugs Appear to Show Benefits in Most Ankylosing Spondylitis Patients – and May Also Improve Psoriatic Arthritis
Recent study findings indicate that ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis may respond well to infliximab, etanercept, and adalimumab... Rudwaleit M, Sieper J… Z Rheumatol. 2004;63:193-202.

Monday Oct 25, 2004
Leflunomide-Methotrexate Combination Equivalent in Safety to Leflunomide Alone for RA
A five-year study involving over 5000 RA patients showed no increase in mortality or long-term serious adverse events... Ta KT, et al. Presented at: Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology; October 20, 2004; San Antonio, Tex.

Monday Oct 25, 2004
Leflunomide-Methotrexate Combination Equivalent in Safety to Leflunomide Alone for RA

A five-year study involving over 5000 RA patients showed no increase in mortality or long-term serious adverse events... Ta KT, et al. Presented at: Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology; October 20, 2004; San Antonio, Tex.

Thursday Oct 21, 2004
Leflunomide-Methotrexate Combination Equivalent in Safety to Leflunomide Alone for RA
A five-year study involving over 5000 RA patients showed no increase in mortality or long-term serious adverse events... Ta KT, et al. Presented at: Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology; October 20, 2004; San Antonio, Tex.

Thursday Oct 21, 2004
State-of-the-Art Lectures Reflect Pioneering Research in Rheumatology in the Past Year

The speakers highlighted new research in basic science, including genetic mechanisms at work in RA, and in clinical studies that further understanding of the efficacy of various therapeutic strategies…Barton A, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2004.;50:1117-1121; Edwards JC, et al. N Engl J Med. 2004;350:2572-2581.

Thursday Oct 21, 2004
Treating Early and in Combination May Lessen Damage in Rheumatoid Arthritis
An emerging body of clinical evidence supports the concept that combination therapy with an antitumor necrosis factor-α agent and methotrexate brings symptomatic relief and reduces radiographic progression... Breedveld FC, et al. Presented at: Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology; October 20, 2004; San Antonio, Tex.

Monday Sep 20, 2004
Image-Guided Needle Placement's Contribution to Outcomes Questioned

Although image guidance improves the accuracy of needle placement, the practice has not been proven to improve outcomes. (Hall S, Buchbinder R. Ann Rheum Dis. 2004;63:1007-1008.)

Wednesday Sep 15, 2004
Advances in anti-TNF Therapy for RA

Two studies give insight regarding the time after RA onset to introduce anti-TNF therapy, and which doses to use to get an optimal response. (Baumgartner SW, et al. J Rheumatol. 2004;31:1532-1537; Stern R, Wolfe F. J Rheumatol. 2004;31:1538-1545.)

Tuesday Aug 31, 2004
TARGET Study Shows Fewer GI Complications, No Increased Cardiovascular Risks, With Lumiracoxib Compared to NSAIDs

A study comparing lumaricoxib to two NSAIDs shows that it may be linked to a reduced risk of gastrointestinal complications, and no additional cardiovascular risk. (Schnitzer TJ, et al. TARGET Study Group. Lancet. 2004;364:665–674.)

Monday Aug 30, 2004
SLE Researchers Encouraged to Use Biomarkers, Surrogate Markers as Study Endpoints; New Research Shows B-Cell Depletion to Have Role in SLE Therapy
(Schiffenbauer J, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2004;50:2415-2422; Looney RJ, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2004;50:2580-2589.)

Monday Jun 28, 2004
The Best Trial: Clinical and Radiological Outcomes in Patients with Early RA

Results from the BeSt trial show favorable results for aggressive strategies using combination DMARDs and regimens with TNF antagonists. (De Vries-Bouwstra JW, et al. BeSt Trial Group.)

Thursday Jun 10, 2004
Preliminary TARGET Data Show Less GI Risk with Lumiracoxib Compared to Conventional NSAIDs
Early findings of a study show that patients who receive lumiracoxib for arthritis symptoms are 50 percent less likely to experience adverse GI effects than those who are treated with conventional NSAIDs.