Arthritis & Rheumatology News and Research

Latest Arthritis & Rheumatology News and Research

Lexicon first quarter revenues decrease 50% to $0.3 million

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering breakthrough treatments for human disease, today updated its drug development progress and reported financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2012.

3 May 2012

SC formulation of Genentech’s ACTEMRA shows promise against RA

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, today announced that the SUMMACTA study met its primary endpoint, showing comparable efficacy (non-inferiority) of the subcutaneous (SC) formulation of ACTEMRA (tocilizumab) 162mg weekly compared to 8 mg/kg ACTEMRA intravenous (IV) formulation every four weeks.

3 May 2012

Contemporary form of swaddling recommended to prevent dysplasia in infants

While tight swaddling may provide a newborn infant with a feeling of warmth and security, studies have found that regularly wrapping a child too tightly in a blanket or cloth may lead to an abnormal development of the hip joint, causing the ball of the hip to dislocate from the hip socket.

2 May 2012

Tips to help homeowners tick-proof their yards

For more than 250,000 Americans, the bite of a deer tick meant the start of a life changing disease. With record warm temperatures and the start of May's National Lyme Disease Awareness Month, Mosquito Squad is on watch and has six tips to help homeowners tick-proof their yards.

2 May 2012

Rigel first quarter net loss increases to $23.2 million

Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012.

2 May 2012

High-dose glucocorticoids double risk of bacterial infections in children with JIA

Children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis have higher rates of bacterial infection requiring hospitalization, and use of high-dose steroids significantly increases that risk, according to research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

2 May 2012

High-dose steroids increase infection risk in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) have higher rates of hospitalized bacterial infection than children without JIA according to an observational study appearing in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).

2 May 2012

Vitamin D strengthens innate immunity against viral infections

Vitamin D may be known as the sunshine vitamin, but a new research report appearing in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology shows that it is more than that. According to the report, insufficient levels of vitamin D are related to a deficiency in our innate immune defenses that protect us from infections, neoplasias or autoimmune diseases.

30 Apr 2012

Enrollment complete in Zalicus Synavive Phase 2b clinical trial for rheumatoid arthritis

Zalicus Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that discovers and develops novel treatments for patients suffering from pain and immuno-inflammatory diseases, today announced it has completed enrollment with 292 patients enrolled in the SYNERGY trial, a Phase 2b clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Synavive, a low-dose glucocorticoid with the potential for amplified immuno-inflammatory benefits, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

30 Apr 2012

Tolero granted exclusive global rights to commercialize MannKind's novel BTK compounds

Tolero Pharmaceuticals and MannKind Corporation today announced a license agreement granting Tolero exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize compounds from MannKind's novel BTK (Bruton's tyrosine kinase) program, which are currently being developed for the treatment of hematological malignancies and inflammatory diseases.

30 Apr 2012

Anxiety more common than depression among people with arthritis

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that one-third of U.S. adults with arthritis, 45 years and older, report having anxiety or depression. According to findings that appear today in Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), anxiety is nearly twice as common as depression among people with arthritis, despite more clinical focus on the latter mental health condition.

30 Apr 2012

Study reveals direct correlation between negative thinking about pain and poor sleep

Chronic pain sufferers who learn to dwell less on their ailments may sleep better and experience less day-to-day pain, according to results of research conducted on 214 people with chronic face and jaw pain.

27 Apr 2012

FDA issues Complete Response Letter to Amgen’s sBLA for XGEVA

Amgen today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a Complete Response Letter for the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for XGEVA (denosumab) to treat men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) at high risk of developing bone metastases.

27 Apr 2012

Change in attitude may ease chronic pain by aiding sleep: Study

26 Apr 2012

InDex Pharmaceuticals granted U.S. patent for novel treatment of steroid-resistant inflammation

InDex Pharmaceuticals today announced that it has been granted a patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The patent provides additional protection for the use of Kappaproct® and additional DNA-based immunomodulatory sequences (DIMS) for the treatment of steroid-resistant inflammatory diseases including inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, asthma, emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

26 Apr 2012

NYU Langone expands MS Comprehensive Care Center

NYU Langone's Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Comprehensive Care Center recently opened the doors to a new clinical practice - the first to occupy NYU Langone Medical Center's new, nearly 300,000-square-foot Ambulatory Care Center located at 240 East 38th Street at Second Avenue in Manhattan.

26 Apr 2012

FDA issues complete response letter to Takeda’s NDAs for type 2 diabetes investigational therapies

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Takeda Global Research & Development Center, Inc. today announced that the company received a complete response letter from the United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding New Drug Applications (NDAs) for alogliptin and fixed-dose combination (FDC) alogliptin and pioglitazone.

26 Apr 2012

Link between obesity and RA in women

Obesity and the painful autoimmune disorder rheumatoid arthritis are each becoming more common, raising a logical question: Could one have something to do with the other? For women, it appears there is a link, Mayo Clinic researchers say.

26 Apr 2012

Amgen announces agreement to acquire Mustafa Nevzat

Amgen, the world's largest biotechnology company, and Mustafa Nevzat Pharmaceuticals (MN) today announced an agreement under which Amgen will acquire 95.6 percent of shares in MN, a privately held Turkish pharmaceutical company, for an amount that values MN at US $700 million.

25 Apr 2012

Bartonella bacterium may also play a role in human arthritis

A bacterium historically associated with cat scratch fever and transmitted predominately by fleas may also play a role in human rheumatoid illnesses such as arthritis, according to new research from North Carolina State University.

24 Apr 2012