Rheumatology

Upadacitinib Superior to Adalimumab in Phase 3 Trial in RA

April 11th 2018

By Samantha DiGrande

AbbVie reports that the trial of 15 mg of orally-administered, once-daily upadacitinib met its primary endpoints, with 71% of patients achieving 20% improvement based on American College of Rheumatology criteria (ACR20), and 29% achieving clinical remission.

Samsung Bioepis Settles With AbbVie, Clearing Way for EU Launch of Adalimumab Biosimilar

April 5th 2018

By Kelly Davio

Article

Samsung Bioepis and Biogen announced today that the companies have reached a settlement with AbbVie, maker of the top-selling Humira, that will allow the partnership to launch their approved biosimilar—Imraldi—in the European Union on October 16, 2018.

Long-Term Adalimumab Provides Sustained Benefits in Axial Spondyloarthritis

April 3rd 2018

By Kelly Davio

Article

A recent study provides the final long-term efficacy and safety results from the phase 3 ABILITY-1 trial’s open-label extension in patients with nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis, which show that the anti–tumor necrosis factor agent adalimumab (Humira) provided sustained clinical and functional improvements through 3 years.

Study Finds Low Rate of Neoplasms in Pediatric Patients Receiving Anti-TNF Therapy

March 27th 2018

By Kelly Davio

Article

Within the juvenile idiopathic arthritis subset, “patients had an extremely favorable probability of being neoplasm-free 5 years after initiation of biologics.”

Study: Rituximab Associated With More AEs Than Other Infusions in Pediatric Patients

March 26th 2018

By Samantha DiGrande

Article

Intravenous infusion therapy has become critical for the treatment and maintenance of many pediatric rheumatic diseases, such as juvenile idiopathic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and inflammatory bowel disease-associated arthritis. Recently, researchers conducted a retrospective review of all pediatric patients given infusions at the University of Alabama at Birmingham from 2012 to 2015.

Study Finds Higher Rates of Discontinuation Due to Remission Among Infliximab Users With RA

March 19th 2018

By Kelly Davio

Article

A multi-center retrospective study of Japanese patients, newly published in PLOS One, sought to describe treatment persistence and reasons for discontinuation among patients who were treating their rheumatoid arthritis with 1 of 7 biologic agents: adalimumab, etanercept, infliximab, golimumab, certolizumab pegol, tocilizumab, and abatacept.

Switching Anti-TNF Agents May Help Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis

March 8th 2018

By Samantha DiGrande

Article

Anti–tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) treatment has revolutionized the management of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), but 20% to 30% of patients discontinue treatment due to failure or inadequate response to treatment. That being said, anti-TNF therapies are structurally different and have different mechanisms of action; consequently, unsuccessful treatment with 1 anti-TNF drug does not determine a patient’s potential response to another.

Anti-TNF Therapy Holds Promise for Patients With Coexisting Lupus and RA

March 7th 2018

By Samantha DiGrande

Article

A recent study analyzed the long-term efficacy and safety profile of anti–tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) treatment in 15 patients with rhupus, a rare association defined by the coexistence of both systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the same patient.

Systematic Literature Review Shows Low Risk of Safety Concerns or Loss of Efficacy After Switching to a Biosimilar

March 5th 2018

By Kelly Davio

Article

In an effort to evaluate whether switching from a reference biologic to a biosimilar could lead to altered clinical outcomes—such as enhanced immunogenicity, compromised safety, or reduced efficacy—a research team, led by Hillel Cohen, PhD, conducted a systematic literature review of all available switching studies.

ACR's 2018 Health Policy Statements Address Biologics, Biosimilars, and the High Cost of Drugs

February 27th 2018

By The Center for Biosimilars Staff

Article

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has updated its health policy statements for 2018, and biosimilars featured heavily in the organization’s concerns for the year ahead.