Rheumatology News and Research

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Rheumatology is a sub-specialty in internal medicine and pediatrics, devoted to the diagnosis and therapy of rheumatic diseases. Rheumatologists mainly deal with clinical problems involving joints, soft tissues and allied conditions of connective tissues.

Ardea Biosciences reports results of RDEA594 Phase 2a study for hyperuricemia and gout

Ardea Biosciences, Inc. announced additional positive results from the completed first cohort of an ongoing Phase 2a, proof-of-concept study of RDEA594, its lead product candidate for the treatment of hyperuricemia and gout.

19 Oct 2009

Genentech reports results of ACTEMRA Phase III study for rheumatoid arthritis

Genentech, Inc., a wholly-owned member of the Roche Group, today announced two-year results from a Phase III study, which showed that people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who received either a 4 mg/kg or 8 mg/kg dose of ACTEMRA® (tocilizumab), in combination with methotrexate, had no progression of joint damage, (75 and 83 percent, respectively, as assessed by radiograph) compared with people who received methotrexate alone (66 percent).

19 Oct 2009

Lubricin injections can reduce cartilage degeneration

Medical researchers will report findings today (Oct. 19) that demonstrate that injecting the protein lubricin into knee joints can dramatically reduce cartilage degeneration.

19 Oct 2009

CONFIRMS trial demonstrates efficacy of ULORIC for treating hyperuricemia in patients with gout

Data presented at the 73rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology highlight effects of baseline characteristics on achievement of serum uric acid (sUA) levels to <6.0 mg/dL and the frequency of flares with ULORIC® (febuxostat) treatment.

19 Oct 2009

Rituxan's sBLA receives a Complete Response from the FDA

Genentech, Inc. a wholly-owned member of the Roche Group, and Biogen Idec announced today that the companies received a Complete Response from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for Rituxan (rituximab) plus methotrexate (MTX) in patients with moderately-to-severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who no longer respond to treatment with a disease modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD), including MTX.

19 Oct 2009

Counseling program to promote education and lifestyle change in lupus patients

According to a new study by Hospital for Special Surgery investigators presented at the American College of Rheumatology meeting on October 21 in Philadelphia, most lupus patients are not aware that their condition puts them at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease and a counseling program is a valuable way to promote education and lifestyle change.

19 Oct 2009

Rituxan drug effective for treating ANCA-associated vasculitis

Researchers have identified that Rituxan, a drug previously approved for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's B cell lymphoma and rheumatoid arthritis, can treat severe ANCA-associated vasculitis as effectively as cyclophosphamide, the current standard therapy.

19 Oct 2009

Recently approved Gleevec drug for cancer treatment

Investigators have identified a drug that is currently approved to treat certain types of cancer, Gleevec, that could provide the first treatment for scleroderma, a chronic connective tissue disease for which a treatment has remained elusive. The news will be presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology on October 18 in Philadelphia.

19 Oct 2009

HealthScape Consumer to analyze patient and consumer data

Healthy Advice Networks, the nation's leading provider of physician office-based patient-education programs, announces a groundbreaking measurement program to track consumer purchase behavior, not just purchase intent, for OTC and consumer health brands.

19 Oct 2009

PIKAMAB obtains U.S. patent rights to develop theragnostic product

PIKAMAB, a stratified medicine biopharmaceutical company, announced today that it has secured exclusive rights to two issued U.S. patents from Hospital for Special Surgery, New York. PIKAMAB is developing Lupus TherasightTM, a novel theragnostic product that will eventually help guide the drug development process and patient treatment protocols in the areas of lupus and lupus nephritis.

15 Oct 2009

Hospital visitation policy to reduce the spread of H1N1 flu

Due to the severity of the H1N1 flu and its potential to spread to patients, children and expectant mothers, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and Stanford Hospital & Clinics announced today that effective Monday, October 19, 2009, both hospitals will no longer allow non-patient visitors or family members under the age of 16 inside the hospitals.

15 Oct 2009

Study shows type 2 diabetes patients treated with ACTOplus met experience blood sugar reduction

A study, published online in the journal Current Medical Research and Opinion, showed that a greater percentage of patients with type 2 diabetes treated with the fixed-dose combination ACTOplus met® (pioglitazone HCl and metformin HCl) as initial therapy reached the study goal of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of less than or equal to 7 percent compared to either component alone.

15 Oct 2009

Jazz Pharmaceuticals to present Phase III sodium oxybate trial data at ACR 2009 meetings

Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that data from the company's first Phase III clinical trial of sodium oxybate (JZP-6) for the treatment of fibromyalgia will be presented during the American College of Rheumatology 2009 Annual Meeting (ACR) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and also in November during the US Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress (US Psych Congress) in Las Vegas, Nevada.

15 Oct 2009

Doctors and scientists form national pain research centre

An expert network of doctors and research scientists is forming the world's first national centre for research into understanding pain in arthritis. Backed by medical research charity the Arthritis Research Campaign and The University of Nottingham, it will aim to improve treatments for arthritis - the most common cause of chronic pain - which affects more than ten million people in the UK.

12 Oct 2009

World’s first engineered T cell receptor trial opens with new cellular therapy for HIV

Researchers at Adaptimmune Limited and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, have announced the approval of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and opening for enrolment of the first ever study using patients’ cells carrying an engineered T cell receptor to treat HIV (SL9 HA-GAG-TCR). The trial may have important implications in the development of new treatments for HIV potentially slowing – or even preventing – the onset of AIDS.

11 Oct 2009

CombinatoRx' Prednisolone/Dipyridamole Combination abstract to be presented at the ACR 2009

CombinatoRx, Incorporated today announced that its abstract entitled, “CRx-102 (Prednisolone/Dipyridamole Combination) Enhances Glucocorticoid (GC) Efficacy and Reduces Adverse Effects in OA Therapy: 3-12 Month Results”, has been accepted for oral presentation at the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2009 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia on October 20, 2009.

8 Oct 2009

Opioid drugs may not be effective for osteoarthritis

Should you take opioid drugs for hip and knee pain caused by osteoarthritis? Probably not, suggests a new review of the best research on the subject.

7 Oct 2009

16 Canadian students living with chronic illness to receive UCBeyond Scholarships

What would you do if you were faced with a chronic illness? Would you walk across Canada to raise awareness for Crohn's disease, build houses in developing countries despite physical pain or dedicate your career to educating young people living with the same disease as you?

6 Oct 2009

The Lewin Group issues recommendations to overcome barriers obstructing the lupus drug development

Today, The Lewin Group, a national health care consulting firm, issued recommendations on ways to overcome the barriers that have obstructed lupus drug development resulting in no new drug approval for this disease in more than 50 years - since the Eisenhower Administration.

From CSL Ltd 5 Oct 2009

Study examines roles of PCPs and hepatologists in post-transplant care

A recent study by researchers from the University of Colorado looked at post-transplant care to determine whether primary care physicians (PCPs) or hepatologists are better suited to manage the overall health care of patients who received a liver transplant (LT).

5 Oct 2009

Rheumatology News and Research

Further Reading

Ardea Biosciences reports results of RDEA594 Phase 2a study for hyperuricemia and gout

Genentech reports results of ACTEMRA Phase III study for rheumatoid arthritis

Lubricin injections can reduce cartilage degeneration

CONFIRMS trial demonstrates efficacy of ULORIC for treating hyperuricemia in patients with gout

Rituxan's sBLA receives a Complete Response from the FDA

Counseling program to promote education and lifestyle change in lupus patients

Rituxan drug effective for treating ANCA-associated vasculitis

Recently approved Gleevec drug for cancer treatment

HealthScape Consumer to analyze patient and consumer data

PIKAMAB obtains U.S. patent rights to develop theragnostic product

Hospital visitation policy to reduce the spread of H1N1 flu

Study shows type 2 diabetes patients treated with ACTOplus met experience blood sugar reduction

Jazz Pharmaceuticals to present Phase III sodium oxybate trial data at ACR 2009 meetings

Doctors and scientists form national pain research centre

World’s first engineered T cell receptor trial opens with new cellular therapy for HIV

CombinatoRx' Prednisolone/Dipyridamole Combination abstract to be presented at the ACR 2009

Opioid drugs may not be effective for osteoarthritis

16 Canadian students living with chronic illness to receive UCBeyond Scholarships

The Lewin Group issues recommendations to overcome barriers obstructing the lupus drug development

Study examines roles of PCPs and hepatologists in post-transplant care

Achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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