Oct 3rd, 2022 - In patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)/psoriatic arthritis (PsA), holding vs continuing methotrexate (MTX) after the second dose of the ChAdOx1 nCov-19 (Oxford-AstraZeneca) vaccine results in a higher antibody response, according to the results of a study published in The Lancet Rheumatology. The researchers sought to evaluate the impact of holding MTX for 2 weeks after each dose of the COV...

Oct 3rd, 2022 - The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) updated their 2017 ACR guidelines for preventing and treating glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP). The full manuscript will be published in Arthritis & Rheumatology and Arthritis Care and Research in early 2023. Since the publication of the 2017 ACR guidelines for GIOP, treatments, including abaloparatide (PTHrP) and romosozumab, have been avail...

Oct 3rd, 2022 - Atopic dermatitis (AD) is not associated with an increased risk for venous thromboembolism events, and neither are JAK inhibitors when used to treat AD, according to data from a systematic review and meta-analysis published in JAMA Dermatology. Investigators conducted a comprehensive literature search on electronic databases for cohort studies analyzing the association of AD with incident venou...

Oct 3rd, 2022 - SECOND OF 2 PARTS For patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), the intensity, duration, and frequency of an individual’s anxiety and worry are out of proportion to the actual likelihood or impact of an anticipated event, and they often find it difficult to prevent worrisome thoughts from interfering with daily life. 1 Successful treatment for GAD is patient-specific and requires clinici.

Oct 3rd, 2022 - Ruxolitinib (Opzelura) cream can help repigment the skin in many body areas affected with vitiligo, researchers reported at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) 2022 Annual Meeting. Those difficult areas include the hands and feet, said Thierry Passeron, MD, PhD, of Université Côte d'Azur and Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice in France. Indeed, a 50% or greater impr...

Oct 3rd, 2022 - While the use of artificial intelligence (AI) during colonoscopy may contribute to improved cancer prevention, it may also add to patient burden in terms of increased colonoscopy frequency and, in turn, healthcare costs, a new study suggests. The study found that colonoscopy plus AI (vs colonoscopy alone) increased the proportion of patients requiring intensive postpolypectomy colonoscopy surve...

Oct 3rd, 2022 - Are nasal sprays the future of COVID-19 vaccines? That’s certainly the hope of many researchers working on new kinds of inoculation. Nasal vaccines were recently approved in China and India for use as a booster dose. The Chinese vaccine is inhaled through the mouth and nose, whereas the Indian vaccine is delivered through nasal drops. These vaccines are just two of more than 100 oral or nasal v...

Sep 30th, 2022 - An expert consensus statement from the American College of Cardiology (ACC) on the role of nonstatin therapies for maintaining low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels to manage atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Newer nonstatin therapy options include ezetimibe, alirocumab or evolocumab, bempedoic ac...

Sep 30th, 2022 - Patients with vs without psoriatic arthritis (PsA) have markedly elevated risks to their cardiometabolic health. More than half of patients with PsA have at least 1 comorbidity (Figure 1).1 Patients with PsA are estimated to be 46% more likely to be diagnosed with a cardiovascular disease (CVD) than the general population, with a higher rate of hospitalization related to CVD as well.2 Moreover,...

Sep 30th, 2022 - Tecovirimat is well tolerated and associated with the rapid alleviation of rectal pain among patients with severe proctitis secondary to monkeypox virus, according to case report findings published in Annals of Internal Medicine. In this case report, the study authors described the effects of oral tecovirimat for the treatment of monkeypox virus-associated severe proctitis in 2 men, both of who...

Sep 30th, 2022 - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Dupixent® (dupilumab) for the treatment of adult patients with prurigo nodularis. The approval was based on data from the 24-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group phase 3 PRIME (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04183335) and PRIME2 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04202679) trials, which assessed the efficacy and...

Sep 30th, 2022 - The Medicare and Medicaid programs spent more than $18 billion over 3 years on medications for which there was no proof of a significant clinical benefit, a new federal report shows. On Tuesday, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the Department of Health and Human Services released an initial take on its ongoing evaluation of medicines cleared through the US Food and Drug Administrat...

Sep 30th, 2022 - Efficacy of the investigational drug lebrikizumab is maintained in patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis for at least 1 year, according to new results from the phase 3 ADvocate1 and ADvocate2 trials. "We're focused on the responders," said Andrew Blauvelt, MD, MBA, as he presented the positive findings at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) 2022 Annual Meetin...

Sep 30th, 2022 - JAKARTA/BEIJING (Reuters) - Indonesia said it has granted emergency use approval to an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine developed by a Chinese company, becoming the first country, ahead of even China, to do so. Indonesia's food and drugs agency (BPOM) greenlighted the use of Walvax Biotechnology Co Ltd's mRNA vaccine, which has been in development for more than two years and targets the original strain of...

Sep 30th, 2022 - Ezetimibe given in combination with rosuvastatin has a beneficial effect on liver fat in people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), according results of a randomized, active-controlled trial. The findings, which come from the investigator-initiated ESSENTIAL trial, are likely to add to the debate over whether or not the lipid-lowering combination could be of benefit beyond its effect...

Sep 29th, 2022 - Highlights from Psych Congress 2022 include studies on the efficacy of psychedelics in patients with treatment-resistant depression. Two studies found that treatment with COMP360 psilocybin therapy reduced depression symptoms in patients with treatment-resistant depression, and a third study found that using precision medicine for ketamine dosing may decrease the high efficacy-low effectiveness...

Sep 29th, 2022 - An expert consensus statement from the American College of Cardiology (ACC) on the role of nonstatin therapies for maintaining low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels to manage atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Newer nonstatin therapy options include ezetimibe, alirocumab or evolocumab, bempedoic ac...

Sep 29th, 2022 - The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) updated their 2017 ACR guidelines for preventing and treating glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP). The full manuscript will be published in Arthritis & Rheumatology and Arthritis Care and Research in early 2023. Since the publication of the 2017 ACR guidelines for GIOP, treatments, including abaloparatide (PTHrP) and romosozumab, have been avail...

Sep 29th, 2022 - Herpes to the rescue Let’s face it: When people hear the word “herpes,” their first thoughts are not positive. But what if herpes could be a hero? Scientists have found a way to make a strain of herpes that kills cancer because, hey, it’s 2022, and anything is possible.

Sep 29th, 2022 - Enrolling representative populations in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease is critical for finding treatments that will be safe and effective for all patients. African Americans and Latinos are disproportionately affected by this disease yet are substantially underrepresented in trials of promising therapies. For example, an analysis of data from more than 100 clinical trials testing new t...