Rheumatology

Head-to-Head Study Shows Ixekizumab Outperforms Adalimumab in Psoriatic Arthritis

October 3rd 2019

By Kelly Davio

Could adalimumab and its biosimilars become a less attractive option for treating some inflammatory diseases in the face of new therapeutic choices like interleukin-17 inhibitors? In the case of ixekizumab, a recent head-to-head study versus adalimumab showed that the newer product was superior in terms of improving joint and skin disease in patients with psoriatic arthritis.

Novartis to Seek a Fourth Indication for Secukinumab

October 2nd 2019

By The Center for Biosimilars Staff

Article

Drug maker Novartis announced that it will seek a fourth indication—nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA)—for its secukinumab (Cosentyx) in the United States after its phase 3 PREVENT trial met its 52-week primary end point.

Rituxan Gets Approval for 2 Pediatric Vasculitis Conditions

September 30th 2019

By Allison Inserro

Article

The FDA has approved another indication for reference rituximab (Rituxan), this time for children with rare vasculitis diseases.

Bipartisan Bill Seeking to Curb Step Therapy Introduced in Senate

September 27th 2019

By Allison Inserro

Article

The bill would amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act to require group health plans to provide an exception process for step therapy so that patients can access treatment without delays.

House Report Outlines Depth of High Prices Americans Pay for Prescription Drugs

September 26th 2019

By Allison Inserro

Article

A report out this week from the House Ways and Means Committee details the extent to which Americans pay more for drugs than other countries—nearly 4 times as much, in fact.

Celltrion Receives Positive CHMP Opinion for Subcutaneous Infliximab Biosimilar, CT-P13

September 23rd 2019

By Kelly Davio

Article

During its September 2019 meeting, the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) issued a positive opinion recommending a change to Celltrion’s marketing authorization for its biosimilar infliximab, CT-P13, sold in Europe as Remsima.

AHIP Report Cites Reference Biologics as Examples of Orphan Drug Gaming

September 17th 2019

By Allison Inserro

Article

While acknowledging the role that the Orphan Drug Act had in incentivizing drug companies to develop treatments for small populations suffering from rare diseases, America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) says pharmaceutical companies are using orphan drug status to create blockbuster drugs that are then used to treat other common medical conditions.

Step Therapy in RA or PsA Leads to Worse Treatment Outcomes, Study Says

September 16th 2019

By Allison Inserro

Article

A recent study says step therapy in rheumatoid (RA) or psoriatic arthritis (PsA) can hurt treatment outcomes.

Patients With Rheumatic Diseases Face Substantial Hurdles in Accessing Treatment, ACR Says

September 16th 2019

By Kelly Davio

Article

While it is well understood that timely access to treatment is key for the management of rheumatic diseases, respondents to The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2019 Rheumatic Disease Patient Survey reported difficulty accessing and paying for their therapies in the past year.

Number of Prior DMARDs Could Negatively Impact Response to Anti-TNFs in RA

September 10th 2019

By The Center for Biosimilars Staff

Article

It is already understood that a longer disease duration and delays in using disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with worse disease control, but a new study, published just last month, has shown that the number of conventional DMARDs used before starting anti–tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy could reduce the magnitude of a patient’s response to anti-TNFs like adalimumab.