Psoriatic Arthritis News and Research

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Like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the joints and connective tissue. The disease causes joint pain and swelling that can lead to crippling along with inflamed and irritated scaly red patches of skin throughout the body. It is a progressive and debilitating disease and because there are no treatments specifically approved for psoriatic arthritis, doctors often use therapies approved for RA, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). However, no DMARDs are currently approved for use in psoriatic arthritis. There are approximately 300,000 patients with psoriatic arthritis in the United States and the disease affects both men and women most commonly between the ages 30 and 50. Psoriatic arthritis patients are generally treated by rheumatologists and dermatologists.

Watery pools in bone marrow key to psoriatic arthritic damage

Researchers have learned more about how a leading drug prevents certain types of arthritis from eating away at bone, according to a study published in the March edition of the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

4 Mar 2008

Abbott receives approval for HUMIRA (Adalimumab) for polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Abbott has announced that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to market HUMIRA (adalimumab) as a treatment to reduce signs and symptoms of moderately to severely active polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in patients four years of age and older.

26 Feb 2008

Enbrel shown to significantly reduced levels of C-reactive protein

Amgen and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth have announced findings from a retrospective analysis, which demonstrated that ENBREL reduced C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation, in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis following 12 weeks of treatment. Median reduction in CRP levels was 10 times greater in the ENBREL treated group compared to the placebo treated group.

5 Feb 2008

Severe psoriasis can cut short life

According to a new study having some forms of psoriasis can shorten a person's lifespan.

19 Dec 2007

Combining medications often best strategy to battle rheumatoid arthritis

For patients with rheumatoid arthritis, combining one well-known, lower-cost synthetic drug with one of six biologic medications often works best to reduce joint swelling or tenderness, according to a new report by researchers at the RTI International-University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Evidence-based Practice Center, which is sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

19 Nov 2007

Smoking linked to enduring risk of psoriasis

According to new research smokers have a higher risk of developing the skin condition psoriasis.

29 Oct 2007

Researchers shed light on the link between chronic inflammation and atherosclerosis

Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and other inflammatory rheumatic diseases are associated with a high rate of death from heart disease.

28 May 2007

Abbott seeks U.S. and E.U. approvals for Humira as a treatment for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Abbott has announced it has simultaneously submitted a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and a Type II Variation to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) seeking approval to market HUMIRA (adalimumab) as a treatment for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) in the U.S. and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in the European Union (EU).

9 May 2007

Abbott opens biotech facility in Puerto Rico

"This new facility is a key milestone for Abbott as we move to focus our resources and future growth on biologic and potent-drug manufacturing," said Lawrence Kraus, vice president of manufacturing, global pharmaceutical operations, Abbott.

11 Apr 2007

New Crohn's disease treatment Humira promises to reduce symptoms

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has given it's approval for the use of the drug Humira (adalimumab) to treat adults suffering from Crohn's disease.

28 Feb 2007

FDA approves Humira (adalimumab) for Crohn's disease

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved Humira (adalimumab) to treat adult patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines, which affects an estimated one million Americans.

27 Feb 2007

Remicade receives European approval for treatment of psoriatic arthritis

Schering-Plough Corporation today announced that the European Commission has approved the use of Remicade (infliximab) as monotherapy in the treatment of active and progressive psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in patients who show intolerance to methotrexate or for whom methotrexate is contraindicated.

26 Jul 2006

NICE backs use of Enbrel and Raptiva to treat severe psoriasis

NICE has today issued guidance for the use of the targeted biological therapies, Enbrel (etanercept) and Raptiva (efalizumab), to treat adult patients with severe plaque psoriasis.

26 Jul 2006

Arthritis drug wins approval for use in children with Crohn's disease

The Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. has given approval for the drug Remicade for use in children with active Crohn's disease(CD), a chronic and debilitating condition.

21 May 2006

Remicade (infliximab) gains Australian approval for treatment of early rheumatoid arthritis

Schering-Plough Corporation today announced that the Therapeutic Goods Administration of the Department of Health and Ageing in Australia has revised the indication of Remicade (infliximab) to include the treatment of early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and approved a new indication for psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

23 Mar 2006

Discovery of common genetic variation in an immune system gene that makes people much more likely to develop psoriasis

University of Michigan scientists have found a common genetic variation in an immune system gene that makes people much more likely to develop psoriasis - a disfiguring inflammatory skin disease.

19 Mar 2006

Specific guidelines for treating juvenile idiopathic arthritis

A study published by the Cleveland Clinic and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) provides the medical community for the first time with specific guidelines for treating juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), previously known as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), a condition that affects approximately one in every 1,000 children.

4 Oct 2005

First true animal model for psoriasis

Scientists at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology in Vienna have developed the first true animal model for psoriasis and have been able to address the initial steps and possible causes of the disease.

20 Sep 2005

Abbott receives European approval to market Humira

Abbott has announced that it has received approval from the European Commission to market Humira (adalimumab) as a treatment for psoriatic arthritis and early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Europe.

15 Aug 2005

Biologic treatments to treat the physical symptoms of psoriasis

More than 4.5 million adults in the United States have been diagnosed with psoriasis and 21 percent of those have moderate to severe psoriasis. This chronic condition, characterized by thick, red, scaly plaques that itch and bleed, not only makes the activities of daily life difficult, but also can affect a person's emotional well being.

21 Jul 2005