American College of Rheumatology

With extensive literature review and expert input, the ACR and the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS) have come together to propose a set of guidelines for medication during the perioperative period for patients undergoing knee or hip arthroplasty.

Used for treatment of inflammation in rheumatic diseases, glucocorticoids are known to cause osteoporosis. The American College of Rheumatology has put forth new recommendations to hopefully decrease the frequency of bone fractures.

Prescribing rheumatologists discussed drug interactions, costs, contraindications, and severity of side effects with less than 50% of the patients in the study to whom they had prescribed disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs.

With ever-growing data that the inflammation in rheumatic conditions can go hand-in-hand with cardiovascular inflammation, two different studies seek to broaden rheumatology’s approach to dangerous conditions it may influence.

Nancy Lane, MD, shared a rheumatologist's perspective in treating patients who suffer pain and osteoporosis.

Nancy Lane, MD, discussed her team's study on abaloparatide, a new preparation of a hormone, and how it can stimulate bone formation.

Speaking at ACR 2016, the current chair of the Spondyloarthritis Research and Treatment Network (SPARTAN) presented data that showed that a combination of inflammatory drugs may inhibit ankylosis, the painful fusion of bones.

According to Lori Fitzpatrick, MD, additional findings showed that regardless of age, whether or not patients have had vertebral or non-vertebral fractures, treatment with abaloparatide worked.

Abaloparatide-sc can benefit postmenopausal women with osteoporosis by helping increase greater bone mineral density, since building bone strength is important for these women's health.

A new study out of Ireland examined the prevalence of extra-articular manifestations in axial spondyloarthritis, and found that women were at significantly higher risk for inflammatory bowel disease and uveitis than men.

A report out of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center shows a reduction in hip disease progression in ankylosing spondylitis patients who receive anti-tumor necrotics factor treatment.

Certain types of inflammation go hand-in-hand. Columbia University researchers hypothesized that treatment that lowered arthritis disease activity would also decrease the risk of heart failure.

Philip Mease shared that he and his team are in the midst of preparing the content of the studies for publication to ensure continued education of psoriatic arthritis treatment.

At the ACR/ARHP annual meeting in Washington, DC, Philip Mease, MD, Swedish Medical Center, University of Washington, discussed the highlights from two psoriatic arthritis studies, OPAL Broaden and OPAL Beyond.

In a post-hoc analysis, researchers found that the clinical efficacy of tofacitinib after 6 months of treatment was greater than placebo, and appeared similar regardless of methotrexate dose.

A review of six Phase 3 studies shows that tofacitinib is more effective for rheumatoid arthritis treatment than regimens including placebo and a disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug or methotrexate as monotherapy or in combination therapy.

In a phase 3 study, ixekizumab showed significant, clinically meaningful improvements of disease activity and physical function for patients with psoriatic arthritis.

In patients with active rheumatoid arthritis symtoms that persisted even though they were taking methotrexate, baricitinib (Lilly/Incyte) treatment led to "significant improvements" researchers reported at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis who received sarilumab plus a DMARD who did not respond to anti-TNF medications showed statistically significant and clinically meaningful changes from baseline in fatigue, morning stiffness, pain, productivity, and participation at week 24.

Results from the MEASURE 1 trial suggest that about 80% of patients with ankylosing spondylitis had no radiographic progression in the spine on x-ray assessment after a 2-year course of secukinumab.

Patients with persistently active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) benefit from repository corticotropin injection (RCI).

Blocking IL-23p19 with an investigational Boehringer-Ingelheim compound called BI 655066 got better results than ustekinumab (Stelara/Janssen) in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis

Other than joint replacement, not much works in treating osteoarthritis of the knee. A Brazilian research team said it has had success with intra-articular injections of ozone.

Compared with placebo, treatment with odanacatib consistently reduced fracture risk across a range of subgroups in a phase 3 clinical trial.

In phase 2 data, ABT-494 showed a significant dose response over placebo in treating rheumatoid arthritis.

A biologic agent called SB5 worked as well adalimumab,researchers reported at the American College of Rheumatology meeting in San Francisco, CA.

A New York City research team believes that clinical SLE disease is associated with microbiome imbalances, specifically with decreases in the diversity and blooms of specific operational taxonomic units in the intestine.

Patients who had bariatric surgery and lost weight were likely to also see improvement in symptoms of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, NYU Langone researchers report.

Estimates on the prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in the US vary widely. To remedy that situation, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention supported four health departments and the Indian Health Service in efforts to get better data.

A Swiss team found that tocilizumab (Actemra/Genentech) was effective in treating newly diagnosed or relapsed patients with giant cell arteritis.