Arthritis & Rheumatology News and Research

Latest Arthritis & Rheumatology News and Research

Medgenics seeks FDA Orphan Drug Designation for INFRADURE to treat hepatitis D

Medgenics, Inc., the developer of a novel technology for the sustained production and delivery of therapeutic proteins in patients using their own tissue, today announced that it has filed for Orphan Drug Designation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for INFRADURE for the treatment of hepatitis D.

23 Apr 2012

NEI awards Scripps Research $10.2M grant to develop new treatments for vision disorders

A team led by a scientist from The Scripps Research Institute has been awarded a five-year, $10.2 million grant from the National Eye Institute (NEI) to develop a new type of treatment for diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, and other common vision disorders.

23 Apr 2012

Rare CARD14 gene mutations can lead to plaque psoriasis

Scientists led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified the first gene directly linked to the most common form of psoriasis, a chronic skin condition.

20 Apr 2012

Scientists discover new ways to help detect and treat osteoporosis

Scientists at the University of Sheffield have discovered new ways to help detect and treat the debilitating brittle bone disease osteoporosis.

20 Apr 2012

Myomatrix 2012 conference to take place from April 22-24

The nation's leading scientists and clinicians exploring treatment breakthroughs for congenital muscular dystrophy will convene April 22-24 on the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno, where research by Dean Burkin has led to a potential therapy.

19 Apr 2012

Exactech selects MMI to evaluate novel cartilage repair treatment

Medical Metrics Inc, (MMI), an experienced provider of medical imaging core lab services for global clinical trials, has been selected by Exactech, Inc. to conduct an independent evaluation of medical images from the BiPhasic Cartilage Repair Implant (BiCRI) IDE Clinical Trial approved by the Taiwan FDA.

19 Apr 2012

Oral bacteria may cause problems in arthritis patients

The culprit behind a failed hip or knee replacements might be found in the mouth. DNA testing of bacteria from the fluid that lubricates hip and knee joints had bacteria with the same DNA as the plaque from patients with gum disease and in need of a joint replacement.

19 Apr 2012

Comparing publicly available hospital readmission rates can lead to misinformation

The odds that someone undergoing spinal surgery at a particular hospital will have to be readmitted to the same hospital within 30 days is an important measure of the quality of care patients receive. That's because these "hospital readmission rates" often reflect problems like hospital-acquired infections or complications from surgery.

18 Apr 2012

Medgenics seeks IND approval to initiate EPODURE Biopump Phase IIb anemia study in ESRD patients

Medgenics, Inc., the developer of a novel technology for the sustained production and delivery of therapeutic proteins in patients using their own tissue, today announced that it has filed an Investigational New Drug application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to initiate a Phase IIb multi-center, 100-patient clinical trial.

18 Apr 2012

UTHealth researcher studies novel cell therapy to prevent GVHD

A researcher at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) is studying a novel cell therapy that could help avoid autoimmune problems after stem cell transplantation, as well as potentially treat other autoimmune diseases.

17 Apr 2012

Steroids still work better for patients with sciatica

Despite the great promise that injecting a new type of anti-inflammatory pain medicine into the spine could relieve the severe leg and lower back pain of sciatica, a Johns Hopkins-led study has found that the current standard of care with steroid injections still does better.

17 Apr 2012

Decreasing GPA adherence among COX-2 users increases risk of upper GI complications

To relieve pain, arthritis sufferers are prescribed medications that may include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors, both of which can irritate the digestive tract. At times additional drugs are co-prescribed with NSAIDs or COX-2 inhibitors to prevent adverse gastrointestinal (GI) effects.

16 Apr 2012

Neurosurgeons from NYU Langone to present at AANS annual meeting

Neurosurgeons from NYU Langone Medical Center will present research and discuss surgical approaches and use of new technologies to treat neurosurgical conditions at the annual meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), held April 14-18, 2012 in Miami Beach, FL.

16 Apr 2012

Females athletes more affected by overuse injuries

Overuse injuries -found most often in low-contact sports that involve long training sessions or where the same movement is repeated numerous times - make up nearly 30 percent of all injuries sustained by collegiate athletes.

16 Apr 2012

Roundup: Texas considers relaxing rules for stem cell treatments; States weigh bills to protect consumers against high drug costs

A Texas agency will vote Friday on whether to enact new rules that would make it easier for doctors to offer experimental treatments using adult stem cells without federal approval. The Texas Medical Board, which licenses and disciplines doctors in the state, recently drafted stem-cell rules at the behest of Dr. Stanley Jones of Houston, who in July injected Gov. Rick Perry with the governor's own stem cells to try to aid his recovery from a back injury.

16 Apr 2012

Takeda enters definitive agreement to acquire URL Pharma

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and URL Pharma Inc. jointly announced that Takeda's wholly-owned subsidiary, Takeda America Holdings, Inc. and URL Pharma have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire URL Pharma – a privately-held pharmaceutical company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for an upfront payment of $800 million and future performance-based contingent earn out payments.

12 Apr 2012

Vilex announces commercial launch of FUZE TTC Arthrodesis Compression Nail

Vilex Inc., a leader in innovative orthopaedic medical devices announced the commercial launch of the FUZE TTC Arthrodesis Compression Nail, the most recent addition to the Vilex line.

11 Apr 2012

Amgen enters agreement to acquire KAI Pharmaceuticals

Amgen and KAI Pharmaceuticals today announced an agreement under which Amgen will acquire KAI, a privately held pharmaceutical company based in South San Francisco.

11 Apr 2012

NYU Langone announces opening of Center for Musculoskeletal Care

NYU Langone Medical Center ushered in the next generation of orthopaedic, rheumatologic and rehabilitative care with the opening of the Center for Musculoskeletal Care (CMC) at 333 East 38th Street in Manhattan last week.

11 Apr 2012

Study examines potential impact of policies to reduce inappropriate imaging for prostate cancer

In the current hyper-charged United States healthcare debate, the focus on lowering cost without compromising quality of care remains a priority. But according to a new study by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center and colleagues, one common approach may have serious unintended consequences.

10 Apr 2012