People who take Enbrel (etanercept) for inflammatory arthritis know that it can be incredibly expensive. But in recent years, some “biosimilar” options — which are considered comparable to the original medication yet have the potential to be far less expensive...
A new study found that methotrexate didn’t reduce the risk of heart attacks in people without arthritis.
The guidelines address tailoring recommendations for people with inflammatory arthritis and advise when to use medications beyond statins.
This newer class of medications are becoming prescribed more often.
By CreakyStaff
Do you need to cut out drinking when you start MTX? Here's what the latest thinking says.
By CreakyStaff
These drugs are commonly used to treat arthritis flares, but you need to know about their side effects.
Could a lack of health insurance coverage of back pain remedies be contributing to the opioid crisis?
A new study found a possible connection between checkpoint inhibitor drugs and rheumatological conditions.
'Treat to target' means your doctor should set a specific goal for you and treat you as intensely as needed to make that goal happen.
Many RA patients are supposed to take methotrexate once a week but often miss a dose. A weekly reminder via text message could make all the difference.
RA studies aren't usually designed in a way that makes the results easily translatable to regular patients, according to a recent analysis of almost 100 clinical trials.
By CreakyStaff
Researchers found an association between obesity and less effectiveness of tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi).
By CreakyStaff
Extended study reinforces the importance of early interventions for rheumatoid arthritis.
By CreakyStaff
A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) previously thought to carry heart attack risk is no likelier to do so than are naproxen (Aleve) and ibuprofen (Advil). That’s what a U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel said recently about celecoxib (Celebrex), coming...
By CreakyStaff
The disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug methotrexate, the first line of defense against rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, is administered as a weekly pill or a shot. Many patients find it helps keep their symptoms under control for years, but up to a quarter...
By CreakyStaff
Asking your doctor is among the best ways to find out about new treatments and clinical trials.
By CreakyStaff
The introduction of biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs are associated with a decrease in total knee replacements among RA patients.
By CreakyStaff
Rheumatoid arthritis patients who take opioids or antidepressants are likelier to fracture their bones, according to research presented at the 2017 American College of Rheumatology annual meeting in San Diego.
By CreakyStaff
“The results of this preliminary study may help rheumatologists to differentiate RA patients who would successfully down-titrate biologics”
By CreakyStaff
Treat-to-target, evidence-based guidelines recommend that rheumatoid arthritis patients be monitored regularly for disease activity.
By CreakyStaff
Patients with longstanding rheumatoid arthritis, called refractory, who had been treated with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFis), saw improvements after a year of taking rituximab (Rituxan). That’s according to an analysis from the Corrona RA registry, which was published in...
By CreakyStaff
On July 27, German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim announced it had enrolled the first patient in a study intended to demonstrate that a biosimilar is interchangeable with Humira (adalimumab) for treating patients with moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis. Ivan Blanarik, Boehringer Ingelheim’s...
By CreakyStaff
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the drug guselkumab (tremfya) to treat moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, announced Janssen Biotech, part of Johnson & Johnson, in a release. The drug is “the first and only approved biologic therapy that selectively blocks...
By CreakyStaff
Focused ultrasound (FUS) operates by an analogous principle to “using a magnifying glass to focus beams of sunlight on a single point to burn a hole in a leaf,” notes the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. “With focused ultrasound, an acoustic lens...
By CreakyStaff
White went into the first meeting with a “great deal of skepticism,” expecting “New Age-y” nonsense. Instead, he found practical advice, ranging from how to lift heavy objects with his legs, rather than his back, and how to process childhood traumas.
By CreakyStaff
Many of the patients that Michael George and his colleagues at Penn Medicine see in their Philadelphia clinic elect to get surgery at some point. Common procedures for older patients are hip and knee replacements, and those surgeries are even...
By CreakyStaff
Dr. David O’Reilly a friendly rheumatologist from the UK recently published some facts about gout. Read below to learn more. Gout is common. 2 million Americans suffer from gout. Gout is caused by uric acid. Uric acid is produced when our...
By CreakyStaff
I still remember my first visit with my rheumatologist when he told me I had psoriatic arthritis. It didn’t register. What in the world was psoriatic arthritis? I didn’t have psoriasis! As an RN I had taken care of patients...
By Neen Monty
This post is going to upset some people in the arthritis community who insist they are undergoing chemotherapy, and that’s fine. I wish I had known that methotrexate when used to treat inflammatory arthritis was NOT considered chemotherapy by doctors when I...
By CreakyStaff
We don’t talk about this stuff often. When it all goes wrong. A surgery. A procedure. A new drug. A new promise. Promise to reduce your pain, increase your quality of life. We research. We believe. We hope. We trust....
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