Arthritis News and Research

Latest Arthritis News and Research

Scientists and clinicians address diagnosis and treatment for autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases

Autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases are a major health issue. The National Institutes of Health reports that up to 23.5 million Americans are afflicted. The American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association reports the number is closer to 50 million. Scientists and clinicians at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston can address the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions, as well as the latest advances in research.

8 Jan 2010

Ligand Pharmaceuticals receives $1 million as payment from N. V. Organon

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announced today that it has received a $1 million milestone payment from N. V. Organon, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., stemming from its research collaboration that expired on December 31, 2009.

8 Jan 2010

Congress approves $1.5 million for first-ever psoriasis patient registry at CDC

Millions of Americans suffering from psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis got a year-end boost from the federal government when it approved $1.5 million for the first-ever psoriasis patient registry at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

8 Jan 2010

Rituximab treatment reduces patients' response to pneumonia vaccine

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University determined that immune responses to the tetanus vaccine were not changed when rituximab in combination with methotrexate (MTX) was compared with MTX alone in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

7 Jan 2010

Positive top-line results from Phase III study of aclidinium bromide announced

orest Laboratories, Inc. and Almirall, S.A. (ALM.MC) today announced positive top-line results from ACCORD COPD I, a three-month Phase III study comparing aclidinium 200µg and 400µg BID versus placebo.

7 Jan 2010

Flu vaccine safe but ineffective for RA patients treated with rituximab

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients are partially protected by the influenza vaccine 6-10 months after treatment with rituximab. Researchers determined that while the flu vaccine is safe, it is ineffective for RA patients in the first 6 months following rituximab treatment.

7 Jan 2010

Bio-Rad Laboratories acquires Biotest AG's diagnostics businesses

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., a multinational manufacturer and distributor of life science research and clinical diagnostics products, announced today that it has completed the purchase of certain diagnostics businesses of Biotest AG, including its diagnostics products in the areas of blood transfusion testing, transplantation, and infectious diseases for 45 million euros.

6 Jan 2010

Study finds self-management alone may effectively treat knee osteoarthritis

Researchers participating in the Multidimensional Intervention for Early Osteoarthritis of the Knee (Knee Study) determined that physically inactive, middle-aged people with symptomatic osteoarthritis benefitted equally from strength training regimens, self-management programs, or a combination of the two. Details of this study are available in the January 2010 issue of Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology.

6 Jan 2010

Link Resources announces completion of share exchange transaction and private placement

Link Resources, Inc. announced today the completion of a share exchange transaction and concurrent US$12 million private placement pursuant to which it acquired the parent company of Yantai Bohai Pharmaceuticals Group Co., Ltd. (“Bohai”).

6 Jan 2010

Findings suggest abuse is a risk factor for chronic headache

Researchers from the American Headache Society's Women's Issues Section Research Consortium found that incidence of childhood maltreatment, especially emotional abuse and neglect, are prevalent in migraine patients.

5 Jan 2010

Phase 2 study evaluating VBL Therapeutics' lead compound VB-201 initiated

VBL Therapeutics today announced the initiation of a Phase 2 efficacy and safety study evaluating lead compound VB-201 for the treatment of patients with psoriasis. VB-201 is poised to be a first-in-class, orally-administered immune response modifier expected to reduce inflammation in a broad range of conditions such as psoriasis.

5 Jan 2010

BioPlex 2200 Anti-CCP test for early detection of RA launched

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., a multinational manufacturer and distributor of life science research and clinical diagnostics products, and Axis-Shield plc, an international in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) company, today announced the launch of Bio-Rad's BioPlex® 2200 Anti-CCP test for the early detection of rheumatoid arthritis.

5 Jan 2010

Health risks of wooden pallet shipping platforms, call for Congress and FDA regulation

The expanded recall of TYLENOL Arthritis pain reliever is fresh evidence of the need for Congress and the FDA to regulate wood pallets used to transport food and pharmaceuticals in the United States because of the dangers they pose to human health.

4 Jan 2010

Erectile dysfunction linked to RLS in older men

A study in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that erectile dysfunction was more common in older men with restless leg syndrome (RLS) than in those without RLS, and the magnitude of this association increased with a higher frequency of RLS symptoms.

3 Jan 2010

CPF reports success in advocacy, research support and awareness of PF

The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF) calls 2009 a year of success in advocacy, research support and awareness, even in a year plagued by the economic recession. PF is a fatal disease that has no known cause, no FDA-approved treatment, and no cure.

30 Dec 2009

Regular, modest exercise beneficial for people with arthritis

Regular, modest exercise improves joint stability and strengthens muscles, according to the December issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource. Exercise also improves mood, sleep, energy levels and day-to-day functioning. Best of all, people with arthritis who exercise regularly report less pain.

30 Dec 2009

Overview of Psoriasis

Psoriasis, a chronic disease that causes red, raised patches of skin, is increasingly seen as a systemic disease with links to arthritis and cardiovascular disease. The December issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource provides an overview of this sometimes embarrassing condition, what's known about it and how it's treated.

30 Dec 2009