Arthritis & Rheumatology News and Research

Latest Arthritis & Rheumatology News and Research

4SC granted U.S. patent for drug to treat rheumatoid arthritis

Martinsried-based drug discovery and development company 4SC AG announced today that the US Patent and Trademark Office (ASPTO) has granted the patent with the US patent number 7,176,241 for its drug candidate SC12267.

6 Feb 2007

Effect of physical activities on knee osteoarthritis in older adults

Regular exercise is recommended for middle-aged and older people, but the effect of exercise on the development of osteoarthritis (OA) in older people is unclear, especially if they are overweight.

31 Jan 2007

New method of predicting rheumatoid arthritis offers early help to sufferers

Dutch researchers believe they may have come up with a new way of predicting whether patients with arthritic symptoms will progress to the autoimmune form of the disease, rheumatoid arthritis.

31 Jan 2007

A prediction rule for disease outcome in patients with recent-onset undifferentiated arthritis

Marked by chronic inflammation of the joints and tissue, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a painful and potentially disabling autoimmune disease.

30 Jan 2007

Linemen more than twice as likely as other players to have metabolic syndrome

After retirement, National Football League (NFL) linemen - generally the heaviest players - are more than twice as likely as other players to have a syndrome that puts them at risk for heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases

28 Jan 2007

Possible reason for severe side-effects of Northwick Park clinical trial

A possible reason why the Northwick Park clinical trial of the drug TGN1412 caused multiple organ failure in human volunteers is revealed in research presented at a conference near Paris.

25 Jan 2007

Major variations in Medicare drug costs

Soon, Congress may vote on whether to require the Medicare system to negotiate lower prices for medicines taken by millions of seniors enrolled in Medicare Part D prescription drug plans.

10 Jan 2007

Cartilage discovery offers arthritis hope

Scientists have revealed the intricate structure of cartilage in what they hope will provide clues to how the crippling joint disease osteoarthritis might one day be treated.

From The University of Manchester 10 Jan 2007

Scientists visualize influenza virus particles

Scientists at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), and colleagues at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville have succeeded in imaging, in unprecedented detail, the virus that causes influenza.

2 Jan 2007

Contaminated U.S. spinach causes food scare in Canada

In the latest food scare to hit North America Canadians are being warned against eating an American brand of fresh spinach.

12 Dec 2006

Why COX-2 inhibitors such as Vioxx can cause heart attacks and strokes

COX-2 inhibitors are primarily used to treat pain in conditions such as arthritis. They work by blocking the COX-2 enzyme, which is expressed at sites of inflammation and underlies the production of hormones called prostaglandins which swell the joints and cause the feeling of pain.

2 Dec 2006

Successor to Vioxx fails to quell concerns

When drug company Merck revealed the the results of a study this week over it's successor to Vioxx, the new arthritis drug Arcoxia, it did little to quell concerns about both the use and the safety of the new drug.

15 Nov 2006

Botox could fix your knees as well as your wrinkles

The preliminary results of a new study have found that Botox, better known for getting rid of wrinkles, significantly reduced severe pain from osteoarthritis of the knee and also improved the knee's function.

15 Nov 2006

Novel way of tackling diseases related to the immune system

A new study has suggested a novel way of combating diseases related to the immune system, including cancer and autoimmune diseases such as type I diabetes and arthritis. The study, funded by the Wellcome Trust, appears online in the journal Nature.

14 Nov 2006

Arthritis drugs not as risky as first thought

Researchers now say that two biotech drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, Humira (Abbott Laboratories) and Remicade (Johnson & Johnson), may not raise the risk of cancer and infections as much as was initially feared.

8 Nov 2006

Regular exercise protects against age related macular degeneration

AMD is a condition which causes light sensitive cells at the back of the eye to stop working, resulting in severe vision loss; it affects the central vision, needed for driving and for many other activities.

1 Nov 2006

Acupuncture and Turmeric could be viable treatment options for arthritis sufferers

People who suffer from osteoarthritis (OA) as a rule find it has to varying degrees an impact on their mobility and quality of life.

31 Oct 2006

Acupuncture in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip

Osteoarthritis (OA) has a major impact on patients' mobility and quality of life but the anti-inflammatory drugs used to treat it are associated with a number of side effects.

30 Oct 2006

Turmeric for prevention of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis

An ancient spice, long used in traditional Asian medicine, may hold promise for the prevention of both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis, according to a recently completed study at The University of Arizona College of Medicine.

30 Oct 2006

Doctors warned that commonly used painkillers linked to increased risk of heart attacks

Doctors in the UK are being warned that commonly used painkillers such as ibuprofen can increase the risk of heart attacks if taken over long periods.

25 Oct 2006