BioTrends is pleased to announce the publication of a new syndicated report, LaunchTrends®: ACTEMRA. Actemra (tocilizumab), marketed by Roche-Genentech, is the first IL-6 receptor inhibitor agent approved for rheumatoid arthritis. This report is the first in a three wave series and is derived from on-line survey responses from 77 rheumatologists and qualitative interviews with 20 rheumatologists…

A new study found that fluoxetine (Prozac®) and citalopram (Celexa®) treatment significantly inhibited disease progression of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in mice. Research led by Sandra Sacre, Ph.D. from the Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) in the UK studied the anti-arthritic potential of these drugs, known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), most commonly used to treat depression. Both SSRIs exhibited anti-inflammatory effects and may provide drug development opportunities for arthritic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA)…

At the core of the American College of Rheumatology Research and Education Foundation’s mission is to attract the best and brightest trainees into a career in rheumatology. To do this, the REF has an extensive portfolio of awards and grants that provide support during critical career stages. One special award, the ACR REF Clinician Scholar Education Award, supports unique individuals who serve as excellent role models for future rheumatologists and rheumatology health professionals. The REF is pleased to announce the newest class of Clinician Scholar Educator Award Recipients…

The more specialized a hospital is in orthopedic surgical care, the better the outcomes appear to be for patients undergoing hip and knee replacement surgery, University of Iowa researchers report in a new study of Medicare patients. Among more specialized hospitals, there were fewer serious post-surgical complications such as blood clots, infections and heart problems, as well as fewer deaths. The findings, which were published online Feb. 11 by the British Medical Journal, were based on data for nearly 1…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Xiaflex (collagenase clostridium histolyticum) as the first drug to treat a progressive hand disease known as Dupuytren’s contracture, which can affect a person’s ability to straighten and properly use their fingers. Dupuytren’s contracture affects the connective tissue found beneath the skin in the palm of the hand.

University of Queensland researchers have been part of a major breakthrough in understanding the cause of the debilitating arthritic condition ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The research, led by Professor Matt Brown from UQ’s Diamantina Institute for Cancer Immunology and Metabolic Medicine, has identified susceptibility genes for AS, which is a type of inflammatory arthritis that targets the joints of the spine…

Investigators have identified a biomarker that could help doctors select patients with rheumatoid arthritis who will benefit from therapy with drugs such as Enbrel, a tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-antagonist drug. The study, led by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery in collaboration with rheumatologists at University of Southern California, appears in the February issue of the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism…

You’d think folks who’ve had knee replacement surgery — finally able to walk and exercise without pain — would lose weight instead of put on pounds, but surprisingly that’s not the case, according to a University of Delaware study. Researchers Joseph Zeni and Lynn Snyder-Mackler in the Department of Physical Therapy in UD’s College of Health Sciences found that patients typically drop weight in the first few weeks after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), but then the number on the scale starts creeping upward, with an average weight gain of 14 pounds in two years…

A researcher from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine has invented a novel way to halt and even reverse rheumatoid arthritis. He developed an imitation of a suicide molecule that floats undetected into overactive immune cells responsible for the disease. Whimsically referred to as Casper the Ghost, the stealthy molecule causes the immune cells to self-destruct. The approach, tested on mice, doesn’t carry the health risks of current treatments…

Final draft guidance published today (Thursday 21st January 2010) by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) will enable another therapy to be considered for some people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland suffering with rheumatoid arthritis. In the draft, certolizumab pegol is now recommended as a treatment option for some patients with the disease. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term disease in which joints in the body become inflamed, causing pain, swelling and stiffness…