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Wednesday Apr 07, 2010
Surgeons Turn to Complex Spinal Procedures Despite Hazards
Complex surgical procedures to treat back pain have soared in popularity in recent years, but experts say they pose greater risks with no more benefits...

Thursday Mar 18, 2010
Knee Replacements May Improve Balance
Joint replacement may improve an elderly patient's balance and prevent falls...

Thursday Mar 11, 2010
AstraZeneca in a Deal with Torrent Pharmaceuticals to Market Generics
The UK drugmaker will market 18 of Torrent's drugs in 9 emerging economies, marking AstraZeneca's first generic-drug partnership...

Wednesday Feb 10, 2010
FDA Wants to Reduce Radiation Exposure from Medical Scans
Widespread use of CT scans and fluoroscopy is exposing some patients to unnecessary amounts of radiation, and raising their risk of cancer...

Tuesday Feb 09, 2010
Minimally Invasive Hip Replacements Growing in Popularity
Orthopedic surgeons have developed techniques to make hip replacement operations less invasive, cutting down the length of time patients spend in the hospital and speeding up total recovery time...

Tuesday Feb 02, 2010
UCB to Exit the Primary Care Market in the US
Instead, the company plans to focus on becoming a patient-centric global biopharmaceutical leader...

Tuesday Nov 24, 2009
Fatigue Is Valid Marker of RA Treatment Response
Single-item measures of fatigue are reliable and sensitive to change in RA patients taking TNF-blockers...

Tuesday Nov 17, 2009
Inflammation in RA Linked to Arterial Stiffness
RA patients with high inflammatory burden are more likely to have arterial stiffness, even without other known cardiovascular risk factors...

Tuesday Nov 03, 2009
Naproxen/Nexium Combo Prevents Ulcers in OA Patients
Combining naproxen esomeprazole magnesium relieves OA pain while protecting the stomach...

Thursday Oct 22, 2009
Water, Skim Milk May Stave Off Gout Attacks
Encouraging gouty arthritis patients to drink more water and/or skim milk may lead to fewer gout attacks...

Monday Oct 19, 2009
Experts Call for Early Intervention with Hip Scopes
As presented at the annual meeting of the International Society for Hip Arthroscopy, earlier intervention is better when it comes to joint-sparing hip operations...

Thursday Oct 15, 2009
To Scope or Not to Scope in Hip Patients Over 60
Hip arthroscopy may benefit some patients aged 60 and older with femoroacetebular impingement...

Friday Oct 02, 2009
NicOx Files Naproxcinod NDA, the first CINOD for OA
NicOx has filed an NDA for naproxcinod, the first in the new class of cyclooxygenase-inhibiting nitric oxid donators (CINODs) for OA treatment...

Wednesday Sep 30, 2009
FDA Finally OKs Stelara for Psoriasis
The FDA has approved Centocor's Stelara (ustekinumab) for moderate to severe psoriasis...

Wednesday Sep 09, 2009
RA Joints Protected by More Fat, Less Adiponectin
Adiponectin is the link between fatness and lower joint damage in RA...

Thursday Aug 27, 2009
Study: Hip Fracture Rates On the Decline in Canada
Hip fracture rates in Canada have been declining since 1985, with a more rapid drop between 1996 and 2005...

Wednesday Aug 12, 2009
So You Think You Can Dance After Hip Replacement? You Can!
Orthopaedic surgeons are realizing that patients are never too young or too old to undergo total hip arthroplasty...

Tuesday Jul 28, 2009
Surprise: OA Not linked to Menopause
OA incidence rises with age in women, but not because of changes in female hormone levels...

Friday Jul 17, 2009
Excess Weight Speeds Up Osteoarthritis
Being overweight can cause a rapid deterioration of knee cartilage, leading to the development of osteoarthritis...

Wednesday Jul 08, 2009
Seniors Reap Durable Gains from Knee Replacement
Four-year follow-up data show that patients 65 and older derive important, lasting benefits from total knee arthroplasty...

Wednesday Jun 17, 2009
EULAR Report Shows Tocilizumab Protects Joints in RA
Actemra^® maintained structure and function in a wide range of RA patients in the LITHE study, with response durations of 2 years in interim analyses...

Tuesday Jun 16, 2009
Golimumab for Psoriatic Arthritis Still Effective at 2 Years
2-Year GO-REVEAL data show durable PsA response to golimumab...

Monday Jun 08, 2009
Tai Chi Prevents Disability in Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain
The ancient Chinese exercise practice of Tai Chi may decrease pain, prevent disability, and improve overall physical health and quality of life for people with chronic musculoskeletal pain...

Wednesday Jun 03, 2009
DHEA Intensifies Calcium, Vitamin D Effect on BMD
Adding DHEA to calcium and vitamin D significantly increases spine BMD in older women (but not in men) and might be a good thing, provided the women don't have family cancer risk and don't need to pass any sports doping tests...

Friday May 29, 2009
NIH Pops $24M into Orphan Diseases Research
NIH will put $24 million into a new program for developing drugs for rare and neglected diseases...

Tuesday May 19, 2009
Improved Hip Implants Can Last 20 Years
Cement-less components for total hip replacements can last twice as long as previous versions, allowing younger patients to qualify as candidates for hip replacements...

Thursday Apr 30, 2009
Minimally Invasive Knee Replacement? Sometimes.
Minimally invasive knee arthroplasty may be appropriate for select patients when performed by an experienced surgeon...

Thursday Apr 23, 2009
Merck Inks Deal with Galapagos in Inflammatory Diseases
Merck and Galapagos have signed a multi-year agreement for discovery and development of new drugs for inflammatory disease...

Thursday Apr 09, 2009
Genentech Pulls Psoriasis Drug Raptiva Due to PML
Roche's Genentech unit will pull the psoriasis drug Raptiva^® (efalizumab) due to PML risk...

Tuesday Mar 10, 2009
Each 500 mg of Vitamin C Cuts Gout Risk by 17%
Gout risk drops significantly in men who have high dietary levels of vitamin C, and even more in those who take vitamin C supplements...

Tuesday Mar 03, 2009
Tiny Arthroscopic Procedure Patches Up Arthritic Thumb
The most common type of hand arthritis, OA of the thumb, can be successfully repaired using an arthroscopic approach to insert a collagen patch into the carpo-metacarpal space...

Wednesday Feb 25, 2009
ACL Repairs Becoming More Common in Kids, Don't Shorten NFL Careers
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is becoming more common in school-age athletes and needs longer healing time than is sometimes allowed, but it need not jeopardize a professional sports career...

Wednesday Feb 25, 2009
Obesity “A Musculoskeletal Nightmare” for Joint Replacement
Obesity increases complication rates, and the super-obese should lose weight before having hip or knee replacement...

Friday Feb 13, 2009
La Jolla and Biomarin Dump Riquent, Cite “Futile” Phase 3 Lupus Data
La Jolla Pharmaceutical has ended work on Riquent^® (abetimus sodium)after the first interim efficacy analysis for the ASPEN Phase 3 lupus nephritis trial...

Thursday Feb 12, 2009
Strength Training Bests Conventional Rehab After Knee Replacement
A progressive quadriceps strengthening program may help total knee arthroplasty patients approach the functional level seen among healthy peers...

Wednesday Feb 11, 2009
Cementless Hip Replacements: Still Sturdy After 20 Years
Hip replacements done with cementless metal cups can last up to 20 years after revision arthroplasty and even longer when used for primary hip arthroplasty...

Thursday Feb 05, 2009
Low Back Pain Seldom Needs Surgery
Patients with discogenic low back pain can be advised to get out of bed, get some exercise, and assume that they will not need surgery...

Tuesday Feb 03, 2009
Lilly to Pursue OA Pain Indication for Cymbalta
Will OA join depression and fibromyalgia as Cymbalta indications?...

Friday Jan 30, 2009
Psoriasis Gene Studies Fill In More Pieces of the Puzzle
New genetics data suggest novel approaches to psoriasis treatment...

Wednesday Jan 28, 2009
Half of Psoriasis Patients Improve With Online Support Groups
Nearly half of psoriasis patients said their health status and disease severity improved after they joined an online psoriasis support group...

Thursday Dec 11, 2008
One-Shot Synvisc Gets FDA Panel OK
An FDA advisory panel has unanimously recommended approval of Genzyme's Synvisc-One™ single-dose hyalin for knee OA pain...

Friday Nov 14, 2008
Salix's APRISO™ Granted FDA Marketing Approval for Maintenance of Remission of Ulcerative Colitis
Apriso is a locally-acting aminosalicylate (5-ASA) and is the first and only mesalamine product approved by the FDA for once-a-day dosing for the maintenance of remission of UC in adults...

Thursday Nov 13, 2008
Il-6 Blockade Helps Move RA Patients TOWARD Remission
Interleukin-6 blockade with tocilizumab (Actemra^®), when combined with conventional DMARDs, safely and effectively reduces rheumatoid arthritis joint and systemic symptoms in  patients were not helped by DMARDs alone...

Thursday Nov 13, 2008
Parathyroid Hormone Patch May Increase BMD and Adherence
A new patch that delivers parathyroid hormone (PTH) may increase spine and hip BMD and avoid some of the compliance issues seen with subcutaneous daily injections of PTH…

Tuesday Nov 11, 2008
For Women, Red Flags About a Hip Device
Hip resurfacing is a popular alternative to traditional hip replacement surgery, but data is beginning to indicate that the technique has a significant failure rate in women…

Monday Nov 10, 2008
RA Patients Know Less About Treatment Than Doctors Assume
Rheumatoid arthritis  (RA) patients may not be as well-versed on drug treatments as their health care providers think that they are…

Monday Nov 10, 2008
Lilly Reports European CHMP Adopts Negative Opinion on Cymbalta^® for the Treatment of Fibromyalgia
The European CHMP has adopted a negative opinion on a Cymbalta^® (duloxetine hydrochloride) application for the treatment of fibromyalgia, recommending the refusal of a change to the marketing authorization for Cymbalta/Xeristar 30 mg and 60 mg gastroresistant capsules...

Thursday Nov 06, 2008
Outcome of Total Knee Arthroplasties after Renal Transplantation
Total knee arthroplasty has shown to be a safe and effective treatment of knee osteonecrosis and severe osteoarthritis in kidney transplant patients…

Wednesday Nov 05, 2008
Study Establishes Safety of Long-Term Juvenile Arthritis Treatments
Three-year data reported at ACR show that long-term etanercept, with or without MTX, is safe and effective in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis...

Monday Nov 03, 2008
Tanezumab Reduces Moderate-Severe OA Pain in Phase II Trial
The nerve-growth-factor blocker tanezumab given once every 8 weeks significantly reduced knee OA pain in a phase 2 trial...

Friday Oct 31, 2008
Overnight Femoral Nerve Block As Good As 4-Day Block for Knee Replacement Pain
An overnight femoral nerve block improves function as well as a 4-day continuous femoral nerve block following total knee arthroplasty, although the continuous femoral nerve block may offer other advantages…

Thursday Oct 30, 2008
Old Malaria Drug Reduces Diabetes Risk in RA, Protects Kidneys in Lupus
The inexpensive old drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) shows remarkable protective ability against diabetes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and against renal disease in patients with lupus...

Wednesday Oct 29, 2008
Denosumab Bests Alendronate for Increasing Bone Mass
One year of denosumab was more likely to produce a 3% gain in hip or spine bone mass than one year of alendronate...

Thursday Oct 23, 2008
New Use of Pregabalin: Preventing Chronic Pain After Knee Replacement
Perioperative pregabalin (Lyrica^®) may stave off chronic pain and permit earlier mobility for patients who have total knee replacement…

Tuesday Oct 21, 2008
Centocor Reports Efficacy of Remicade^® vs Azathioprine in Treatment of Crohn’s Disease
Azathioprine is not approved in the US for the treatment of CD but is approved in some countries outside the US and is widely used by gastroenterologists and other physicians in the US to treat CD patients...

Monday Oct 13, 2008
Unclear How Much Pounding New Hips, Knees Can Take
1 in 75 knee or hip replacement patients must have their artificial joint replaced within 3 years of their first surgery...

Thursday Oct 09, 2008
Rheumatologists Usually on Target With Intra-Articular Injections, Even Without Ultrasound
New research shows that blind intra-articular injections (IAIs) in rheumatoid arthritis patients, done without ultrasound guidance, are accurate when performed by a trained rheumatologist. Blind injections into the ankle are the most unreliable, at 77% accuracy...

Wednesday Oct 08, 2008
Incyte's Topical JAK Inhibitor Shows Positive Proof-of-Concept Results in Two Phase IIa Clinical Trials in Patients with Mild-to-Moderate Psoriasis; Phase IIb Expected to Start October 2008
Results from the first study demonstrated that INCB18424 was well tolerated at all doses and significantly improved overall total lesion score (erythema + scaling + thickness)...

Friday Oct 03, 2008
Occupational Therapy May Help OA Patients Get Moving
Occupational therapy may help get patients with knee and hip osteoarthritis (OA) lead more active lives…

Wednesday Oct 01, 2008
Roche Says US FDA Issues Complete Response Letter for Actemra^® Biologics License Application; No New Clinical Studies Requested
Actemra^® (tocilizumab) is the first humanized interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor-inhibiting monoclonal antibody studied for the treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis...

Wednesday Oct 01, 2008
Glucosamine/Chondroitin Stumbles Again in GAIT II Study of Knee OA Progression
2-year data from the GAIT trial show no significant effect of glucosamine with or without chondroitin sulfate on progression of joint damage...

Tuesday Sep 30, 2008
Microparticles May Be Big Players in Systemic Scleroderma Disease Activity
Microparticles—small, membrane, coated vesicles—found in the blood of systemic scleroderma patients might not be inert debris…

Monday Sep 29, 2008
Pegloticase May be Just What the Rheumatologist Ordered for Treatment-Resistant Gout
Treatment-resistant gout may have finally met its match with a new, urate-lowering drug...

Friday Sep 26, 2008
ASBMR Reports Show 68% Drop in Spinal Fractures With Denosumab, Stronger Effect on Bone Turnover Than With Alendronate, High Patient Preference
Studies reported at the 2008 ASBMR meeting showed that denosumab, which is given twice yearly, was as effective as the best competing agents at preventing osteoporotic fractures. Denosumab produced greater gains in BMD than alendronate and was preferred to once-weekly oral alendronate...

Thursday Sep 25, 2008
Bone Loss Stable on Restricted Calorie Diet
Overweight adults can shed pounds without experiencing significant bone loss by eating a low calorie diet that includes essential nutrients...

Thursday Sep 25, 2008
Centocor’s Ustekinumab Demonstrates Superior Efficacy to Enbrel^® (Etanercept) in Treatment of Moderate-to-Severe Plaque Psoriasis
Greater proportion of patients receiving ustekinumab achieved significant skin clearance versus patients receiving Enbrel...

Monday Sep 22, 2008
Body Fat Increases CRP in Women With RA, May Lead to Wrong Diagnosis of Persistent Synovitis
High levels of adipose tissue, especially in the midsection, are associated with high CRP levels in women with RA. Elevated CRP levels in overweight patients might not be an indication that more aggressive RA treatment is needed...

Friday Sep 12, 2008
BioCryst Reports Results From Phase IIa Trial of PNP Inhibitor in Psoriasis; No Evidence of Clinical Efficacy
BCX-4208 is a potent, rationally-designed, inhibitor of PNP—a purine salvage pathway enzyme that is essential for the proliferation of activated T-cells...

Thursday Sep 11, 2008
Almost Half of Adults Will Develop Knee Osteoarthritis by 85
Men and women who are obese during middle age are at the greatest risk for this painful condition…

Thursday Sep 11, 2008
Total Ankle Replacements are Coming Into their Own—Finally
Total ankle replacements are expected to soon rival hip and knee replacements in design, function, and durability. Airbags and seatbelts contribute to growing demand…

Wednesday Sep 10, 2008
Joint Revision Study Suggests Using Hip Resurfacing Only in Men, Unicondylar Knee Replacement Only in Elderly Arthritis Patients
Only 1 in 75 patients with primary hip or knee replacement require revision surgery after 3 years, but limiting certain procedures to males or elderly patients might reduce this rate even more…

Wednesday Sep 03, 2008
Out-of-Pocket Arthritis Costs Rising Despite Medicare Drug Benefit
Out-of-pocket medical costs for Medicare-age adults were brought close to 2003 levels by the new Medicare Part D drug benefit, but high OTC and prescription costs continue to be an issue...

Thursday Aug 21, 2008
Mesoblast Reports Stem Cells Regrow Knee Cartilage in Postmenopausal Ewes With OA; Repair Nonhealing Bones in Humans
Mesoblast, a regenerative medicine company developing treatments for orthopaedic conditions, announced successful preclinical trial results showing that its proprietary adult stem cells regenerated and regrew damaged knee cartilage...

Wednesday Aug 20, 2008
Zoledronic Acid Prevents Chemo-Induced Bone Loss in Premenopausal Women With Breast Cancer
As the population of breast cancer survivors grows, the risks of life after cancer treatment are becoming a major concern. One risk is bone loss caused by chemotherapy, and phase III data show that a dose of zoledronic acid every 3 months during chemotherapy can prevent this problem in premenopausal women with breast cancer...

Tuesday Aug 19, 2008
Cheerleading More Dangerous Than High-Flying Olympic Gymnastics
Cheerleading routines resemble competitive gymnastics ever more closely but are more dangerous, accounting for two thirds of severe sports injuries to female high school and college students, and consuming 25% of the money that the NCAA insurance program spends on student athletes...

Monday Aug 18, 2008
Power Doppler Ultrasound Measures Response to TNF-blockers in RA
Power doppler ultrasonographic monitoring may help measure response to TNF-blockers as well as predict X-ray progression in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients…

Thursday Aug 07, 2008
Heart Risks Rise With Revision or Bilateral Joint Arthroplasty
Patients who undergo revision or bilateral joint arthroplasty are at significantly higher increased risk for heart attack or heart failure than patients who undergo their first replacement of a single knee or hip…

Tuesday Jul 29, 2008
Complaints Undermine Hip Device
Sales of the Durom cup, an artificial hip socket, have been suspended following complaints by doctors of a high failure rate…

Friday Jul 18, 2008
Even Really Old Joints Benefit From Replacement in Osteoarthritis
Patients ≥75 do as well as those 65 to 74 after joint replacement for severe hip or knee OA...

Monday Jul 14, 2008
Adding Caffeine to Carbs Speeds Muscle Glycogen Recovery After Intense Exercise
About 5 or 6 cups of strong coffee ingested along with carbohydrates after intense exercise can increase muscle glycogen recovery by ≥50% versus carbs alone and might prepare athletes for better performance the following day...

Tuesday Jul 08, 2008
Return to Sport After Hip Resurfacing or Total Hip Arthroplasty
Patients are able to engage in more intense sports activities after undergoing hip resurfacing than after total hip arthroplasty…

Monday Jul 07, 2008
Three Studies Support Rivaroxaban Over Heparin-Based Treatment to Prevent VTE After Joint Replacement
Three studies show that selective factor Xa inhibition with rivaroxaban trumps heparin-based thromboprophylaxis for reducing venous thromboembolism after total hip and total knee arthroplasty…

Wednesday Jul 02, 2008
Biotie Reports Positive Phase 1a Data for Anti-VAP-1 Monoclonal Antibody BTT-1023; Dosing Regimens to be Established in RA and Psoriasis Patients
Biotie's first-in-human study of BTT-1023 investigated the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic characteristics of single intravenous doses of the antibody in healthy volunteer subjects...

Tuesday Jun 24, 2008
Nearly Half of Undifferentiated Arthritis Patients Can Achieve Drug-Free Remission After 1 Year of MTX
The chance of achieving drug-free arthritis remission after 1 year of MTX therapy is 46% and is predicted by a negative ACPA status, no or low radiographic damage at baseline, increased age, and shorter disease duration…

Monday Jun 23, 2008
More Zoledronic Acid Fracture Reduction Data Reported at Endocrine Society Meeting
Yearly infusions of zoledronic acid 5 mg reduced fractures and increased bone mineral density (BMD) when administered with or without concomitant osteoporosis therapy…

Monday Jun 23, 2008
Hip Fracture Hospitalizations Drop in US Despite Aging Population
New research conducted by a 17-year-old high school student suggests that the US is having a significant impact on the osteoporosis epidemic...

Friday Jun 20, 2008
Briobacept May Follow Rituximab as B-Cell Directed Treatment in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Briobacept, which targets B-cell activating factor (BAFF), can be given repeatedly to reduce CD19+CD27- B-cells in rheumatoid arthritis patients...

Friday Jun 20, 2008
Longitudinal MRI Study Confirms that Rituximab Stops Progression in RA, Suggests Some Regression
Imaging studies done 1 year after rituximab (RTX) treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) confirm that progression of joint damage was stopped, and suggest that there may even have been some regression of established damage...

Thursday Jun 19, 2008
Infliximab (Remicade^®) Plus Combination DMARD Therapy for Early RA Increases Remission Rate, Slows Radiological Progression
Adding infliximab (INF) to effective combination DMARD therapy for patients with early RA both increases the remission and slows progression of joint damage...

Monday Jun 16, 2008
Belimumab is Back: New Criteria Show Activity in SLE
The humanized monoclonal antibody belimumab showed significant activity in the extension of a phase II clinical trial for SLE as measured by new, FDA-approved assessment criteria...

Friday Jun 13, 2008
Clinical, X-ray, and Functional Remission Possible in Early RA With MTX-ETN Combo
Etanercept (ETN) in combination with methotrexate (MTX) was superior to MTX alone in allowing RA patients to achieve clinical remission, radiographic nonprogression, and normalized function... 

Thursday Jun 12, 2008
Increased Melanoma Risk Seen in RA Patients Taking MTX
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients taking methotrexate (MTX) may be at a 3-fold increased risk for developing potentially fatal melanoma…

Wednesday Jun 11, 2008
How to Tell If an RA Patient is Likely to Achieve DMARD-Free Remission Without Biologics
A number of factors identify rheumatoid arthritis patients whose disease is likely to respond to conventional DMARD treatment with sustained, drug-free remission...

Monday Jun 09, 2008
Jazz Pharmaceuticals Completes Enrollment in First of Two Phase III Clinical Trials of Sodium Oxybate (Xyrem^®) to Treat FMS
Jazz Pharmaceuticals, a specialty pharmaceutical company, announced completion of enrollment in the first of two phase III pivotal clinical trials of JZP-6 (sodium oxybate, Xyrem^®) for the treatment of fibromyalgia...

Tuesday Jun 03, 2008
3 Years Later, Knees Made for Dancing
Patients need to be better educated and given greater support before and after total knee replacement surgery…

Monday Jun 02, 2008
Osteologix Reports Additional Positive Phase II Data for NB S101 (strontium malonate) for Osteoporosis
Osteologix reported that the osteoporosis drug candidate was well-tolerated and significantly suppressed bone resorption while simultaneously improving bone mineral density (BMD) at 12 weeks...

Monday Jun 02, 2008
Targeted Genetics Reports Positive Interim Findings From Inflammatory Arthritis Phase I/II Trial of tgAAC94; Demonstrates Safety and Preliminary Efficacy, Supports Further Clinical Development
Targeted Genetics Corp's study is designed to assess the safety and potential effect of multiple doses of tgAAC94 administered directly to affected joints of inflammatory arthritis subjects with or without concurrent use of systemic TNF antagonist therapies...

Tuesday May 27, 2008
Obese Patients at Greater Infection Risk After Hip Replacement
Patients with a BMI of 35 or higher are over 10 times more likely to suffer complications following revision hip replacement surgery...

Wednesday May 21, 2008
Amgen’s 2nd Phase III Denosumab Osteoporosis Study Meets Primary, Secondary BMD Endpoints in Alendronate Transition Study; Transition Patients Achieved Superior Gains in BMD
Amgen's trial comparing the effects of denosumab vs continued alendronate therapy on bone mineral density demonstrated superior results for primary and all secondary endpoints...

Wednesday May 14, 2008
8-Year Data Confirm Etanercept Safety, Efficacy in Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
Long-term open-label data show that etanercept (Enbrel^®) is safe and effective over 8 years of continuous treatment of children with JRA...

Tuesday May 06, 2008
Younger People Getting Joint Replacements to Restore Active Lifestyles
A better understanding of joint mechanisms and new technologies allow younger adults to relieve pain with joint replacements…

Friday May 02, 2008
Icelandic and British Researchers ID Five New Osteoporosis Genes
New research spotlighting five genetic loci associated with bone mineral density (BMD) and fractures may provide insight into the biochemical pathways that underlie osteoporosis…

Thursday May 01, 2008
Genentech, Biogen Idec Report Phase II/III Trial of Rituxan^® Fails to Meet Primary or Secondary Endpoints in Lupus
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter phase II/III study of Rituxan^® (rituximab) for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) did not meet its primary endpoint or any of the six secondary endpoints...

Thursday Apr 24, 2008
S. pyogenes-Linked New-Onset Childhood Arthritis Differs in Severity, Duration, from Other Types
Up to 35% of children with new-onset arthritis test positive for S. pyogenes and have a different disease course than children with other forms of inflammatory arthritis; they do not need routine cardiology follow-up, according to a population-based study...

Monday Apr 21, 2008
Loop Diuretics Pose Osteoporosis Risk for Older Men
Loop diuretics greatly increase hip bone loss in men over age 65...

Friday Apr 18, 2008
Novartis Announces Once-Yearly Reclast Better Than Risedronate at Increasing BMD in GIO Patients; US FDA Approval Sought for Treatment and Prevention of GIO
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp reported that a once-yearly infusion of Reclast^® (zoledronic acid) injection 5 mg was significantly better than risedronate at increasing BMD in patients with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis...

Thursday Apr 17, 2008
Skyrocketing Rates of Hip and Knee Replacements May Tax Healthcare System
The US healthcare system should brace itself for an exponential increase in the number of primary and revision joint arthroplasties and their associated costs…

Tuesday Apr 15, 2008
JAMA Blasts Vioxx Ghostwriters, Guest Authors, and Mortality Reporting
Documents obtained during Vioxx lawsuits against Merck provide a “case-study review of industry documents” showing that most clinical trial manuscripts and review articles were written by sponsor employees with noncompany authors brought in later to disguise the work, to misleadingly report mortality data to the FDA, and to keep data from some IRBs, JAMA authors charged...

Friday Apr 11, 2008
FDA Warns of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy With CellCept
FDA informed healthcare professionals that it is investigating a potential association between the use of mycophenolate mofetil and development of PML...

Thursday Apr 10, 2008
The Days of Using Potent Anticoagulants to Prevent Pulmonary Embolism After Joint Arthroplasty May Be Numbered
Experts say that the routine use of potent anticoagulants to stave off pulmonary embolism after joint arthroplasty should be stopped because these blood thinners may actually increase mortality…

Wednesday Apr 09, 2008
Amgen Phase III Data Show Denosumab, an Inhibitor of RANK Ligand, Increased Bone Density at Multiple Skeletal Sites in Early and Later Stage Postmenopausal Women
Amgen announced results from its study in women with early and late stage postmenopausal osteoporosis that show twice-yearly subcutaneous injections of denosumab increased bone mineral density (BMD) at all sites measured...

Monday Apr 07, 2008
Radius Fills Enrollment of Phase II Trial of BA058 for Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal Women; Milestone Triggers $28.3 Million Financing
Radius Health, Inc announced the completion of patient enrollment in its phase II clinical trial of BA058, an analog of hPTHrP (human parathyroid hormone-related protein)...

Monday Apr 07, 2008
Analysis Finds Etanercept, Adalimumab More Cost-Effective Than Infliximab for Medicare Use
A model comparing costs and effectiveness of the biologics currently covered for treating RA in US Medicare beneficiaries has shown that etanercept (ETN) and adalimumab (ADA) are both more cost-effective than infliximab (INF)…

Wednesday Apr 02, 2008
DEXA Scans, Serum Testosterone, Vitamin D Tests Urged for Men Over 70
Osteoporosis in men is a common problem and requires more aggressive diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of response...

Wednesday Apr 02, 2008
New, Easy-to-Use Resting Energy Expenditure Equations for RA
Easy-to-implement new resting energy expenditure (REE) equations that take rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-induced hypermetabolism into account may help better monitor resting metabolism in RA patients without relying on sophisticated, time-consuming, and expensive indirect calorimetry…

Tuesday Apr 01, 2008
Targeted Genetics Announces Completion of Dosing for Phase I/II Clinical Trial of tgAAC94 for Inflammatory Arthritis
Dosing has been completed for Targeted Genetic's phase I/II clinical trial of tgAAC94 administered directly to affected joints of subjects with inflammatory arthritis to reduce inflammation and to avoid the potential for systemic side effects...

Tuesday Mar 25, 2008
UCB Reports That CHMP Upholds Negative Opinion on Cimzia^® (certolizumab pegol) for Crohn’s Disease
The European Medicines Agency Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has rejected UCB's appeal to have Cimzia^® (certolizumab pegol) approved for the treatment of Crohn’s disease patients...

Monday Mar 24, 2008
Should RA Patients Go Vegan?
A gluten-free, vegan diet may improve RA patients’ cardiovascular risk profile…

Friday Mar 14, 2008
Gender Bias Seen in Total Knee Arthroplasty
Doctors are more likely to recommend total knee arthroplasty to male patients than to female patients...

Tuesday Mar 11, 2008
AAOS Researchers Warn of Alendronate Fracture Risk
Two studies reported at the AAOS meeting warned of a possible increase in risk of low-energy or stress fractures associated with long-term use of alendronate...

Tuesday Mar 11, 2008
Gender Bias at Play in Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis
Men are more likely than women to be recommended for total knee replacement surgery…

Monday Mar 10, 2008
AAOS Panel Presents Hip Resurfacing as Option for Some Younger Patients
Hip resurfacing may emerge as a preferred option for some younger arthritis patients...

Monday Mar 10, 2008
AAOS Debates Gender-Specific Joint Implants
Joint replacement experts say implant should fit body, not gender...

Friday Mar 07, 2008
UCB Reports That Early Data on Cimzia^® From WELCOME Study Demonstrate Efficacy in Infliximab-Refractory Crohn's Patients
UCB announced that initial 6-week data from the WELCOME trial show that Cimzia^® (certolizumab pegol) is effective in Crohn's patients who are intolerant or who no longer respond to infliximab (INF)...

Wednesday Mar 05, 2008
Cholesterol-Lowering Statins Tied to Tendon Woes
Statins may raise the risk of tendon problems, but the benefits of statins generally outweigh the risks...

Monday Mar 03, 2008
Fibromyalgia Patients With CDIP May Benefit From IVIg Therapy
Fibromyalgia (FM) patients with evidence of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) may benefit from treatment with intravenous immunoglubulin...

Thursday Feb 28, 2008
Adult Stem Cells Nearing Clinical Use for RA, SLE, Other Autoimmune Diseases
Adult stem cells offer a safer, less controversial approach than embryonic stem cells to treat various rheumatoid and autoimmune diseases, and are now entering randomized clinical trials...

Tuesday Feb 19, 2008
Sensitivity to Implant Materials in Patients With Total Knee Arthroplasties
Total knee arthroplasty patients may experience increased sensitization, which can negatively impact the outcome of the implant...

Wednesday Feb 13, 2008
65% More Spent on Spine Problems Bought Little Relief, JAMA Study Says
Spine-related expenditures jumped 65% from 1997 to 2005, but bought little improvement in patients' health status...

Monday Feb 11, 2008
Half of RA Patients in Europe Forced to Retire Early; Increasing Healthcare Costs
As many as half of all rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients are forced into early retirement and must apply for disability within 10 years of disease onset; adding to the extremely high societal and economic costs of RA...

Friday Feb 08, 2008
Phase III Data Look Good for Ustekinumab (CNTO 1275) in Plaque Psoraisis
Ustekinumab (CNTO 1275), a new monoclonal antibody that blocks interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-23, may hold advantages over existing systemic therapies for chronic plaque psoriasis in terms of its convenience and potentially its safety...

Thursday Feb 07, 2008
Supplement Shows Promise for Mild Knee Arthritis
A dietary supplement derived from chickens may relieve the pain in patients with mild knee arthritis...

Friday Feb 01, 2008
SantoSolve Reports Topical Analgesic Phase II Study Met Primary Endpoint in Patients With Knee OA
SantoSolve AS announced positive results for 2PX, its topical analgesic formulated for subdermal pain treatment in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee...

Thursday Jan 31, 2008
Alendronate Decreases TRACP 5b Activity in Osteoarthritic Bone
Bisphosphonates may reduce TRACP 5b activity in the intertrochanteric area of the femoral head, suggesting that they are most effective in areas of well-supplied bone...

Monday Jan 28, 2008
Amgen Reports Denosumab Osteoporosis Study Met Primary and All Secondary BMD Endpoints in a Direct Comparison With Weekly Alendronate (Fosamax®)
Amgen Inc announced findings from a head-to-head, double-blind study comparing the effects of twice-yearly subcutaneous injections of denosumab versus weekly oral doses of alendronate in postmenopausal women with low bone mineral density...

Friday Jan 25, 2008
Do Calcium Supplements Help Bones at the Expense of the Heart?
Calcium supplements may increase the risk of heart attack and stroke in healthy postmenopausal women...

Wednesday Jan 23, 2008
Abbott's Humira® Approved in US for Treatment of Moderate-to-Severe Chronic Plaque Psoriasis
Abbott Laboratories announced it has received US FDA approval to market Humira® (adalimumab) for adults with moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis...

Thursday Jan 17, 2008
Incidental Vertebral Fractures on Multidetector CT Images of the Chest: Prevalence and Recognition
Vertebral fractures are under diagnosed by radiologists using multidetector computed tomography...

Wednesday Jan 16, 2008
Etanercept Clears Plaque Psoriasis in Children and Adolescents
Etanercept (Enbrel®) safely reduces disease severity in children and adolescents with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, and improvements are evident as early as the second week of therapy...

Friday Jan 11, 2008
Earlier Knee Replacement Urged for Women With OA
Women wait until much later in the osteoarthritis disease process to have total knee arthroplasty, and this delay may be jeopardizing functional recovery...

Thursday Jan 03, 2008
Step-Down Therapy With Steroids is Feasible and Effective in Early RA
Step-down therapy for early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) including oral prednisolone is not just feasible in daily practice, it is also more effective than a step-up regimen...

Friday Dec 21, 2007
Galapagos to Collaborate With Lilly in OA and to Receive Milestone Payment of €7.5 Million in OA Alliance with GSK
Galapagos NV, an integrated drug discovery company with preclinical programs in bone and joint diseases, announced that it has entered into a global collaboration agreement with Eli Lilly and Co to develop a novel class of medicines with potential to stimulate bone formation for the treatment of osteoarthritis...

Thursday Dec 20, 2007
OARSI Researchers Further Refine Matrix-Associated Cartilage Repair Techniques
Matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte implantation continues to improve as a way of repairing arthritis knees, and MRI can be used to check the quality of the repaired tissue...

Thursday Dec 20, 2007
RA Patients Have Doubled Risk of Shingles, and Many RA Drugs Increase Risk Even More

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients show a two-fold increased risk for herpes zoster (shingles) compared with their counterparts without RA, and the most commonly used RA drugs increase the risk even more...

Wednesday Dec 19, 2007
Synovitis, Effusion, Bone Marrow Lesions Tagged As Modifiable Factors in Knee Pain
Knee pain fluctuation correlates with changes in several modifiable MRI features: synovitis, effusion, and bone marrow lesions...

Tuesday Dec 18, 2007
Amgen's Pivotal Phase III Data Show Denosumab With Twice-Yearly Dosing Increased BMD Throughout Skeleton in Nonmetastatic Breast Cancer Patients on Adjuvant Aromatase Inhibitor Therapy; Study Met All Primary and Secondary Endpoints
Amgen Inc announced that pivotal phase III data show that denosumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody that specifically targets the receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand, a key mediator of the resorptive phase of bone remodeling, increased bone mineral density throughout the skeleton in nonmetastatic breast cancer patients on adjuvant aromatase inhibitor therapy...

Thursday Dec 13, 2007
Pediatric Arthritis Causes 827,000 Physician Visits Per Year
Over 290,000 children suffer from pediatric arthritis or other serious rheumatologic conditions and require an average of 827,000 ambulatory healthcare visits per year, which places a significant burden on the health care system...

Wednesday Dec 12, 2007
 New Hips Keep on Keeping On
The benefits of total hip arthroplasty on physical function are substantial and long-lasting especially in osteoarthritis (OA) patients with more pronounced X-ray damage...

Wednesday Dec 12, 2007
Ferring's Euflexxaâ„¢ (1% sodium hyaluronate) is Effective in Treating Knee OA and Reduces Pain that Interferes with ADLs; Shows Equal Effectiveness in Disease Stages Two and Three
Ferring Pharmaceuticals announced the results of two clinical studies on the efficacy of Euflexxaâ„¢, an intra-articular hyaluronic acid (IA-HA) for the relief of pain in knee osteoarthritis (OA)...

Tuesday Dec 11, 2007
Pain Therapeutics', King's Remoxyâ„¢ Meets Primary Endpoint in Pivotal Phase III Study in OA Patients with Chronic Pain; NDA Filing Expected in Mid-2008
Pain Therapeutics, Inc and King Pharmaceuticals, Inc announced that a pivotal phase III study of Remoxyâ„¢, an abuse-deterrent version of long-acting oxycodone, in osteoarthritis patients with chronic pain met the primary endpoint that was prospectively defined by the US FDA during the Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) process...

Thursday Nov 29, 2007
New Method Provides Quick Estimate of 5-Year Hip Fracture Risk
A new algorithm based on 11 clinical factors can predict 5-year risk for hip fracture in postmenopausal women...

Thursday Nov 29, 2007
Osteoporosis Also Contributes to High-Trauma Fractures
Physicians should evaluate older patients with high-trauma nonspine fractures for osteoporosis...

Wednesday Nov 28, 2007
Update on Joint Replacement
Total joint replacement has reduced pain and disability in elderly patients with arthritis. The procedure is cost-effective even for high-risk patients, but it is associated with higher risk for cardiac complications if both joints are replaced during the same procedure, and it might be chosen by more African-American patients if finances were less of an issue...

Tuesday Nov 27, 2007
Elan, Biogen Idec Report that CHMP Adopts Negative Opinion on Appeal of EU Application for Natalizumab (Tysabri®) to Treat Crohn's
Elan Corp, plc and Biogen Idec announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has adopted a negative opinion on the marketing authorization for natalizumab (Tysabri®) as a treatment for moderate-to-severe, active Crohn's disease (CD) in patients who had an inadequate response to or could not take conventional treatments and who have evidence of active inflammation...

Monday Nov 26, 2007
Teriparatide Builds More Bone Than Alendronate in Steroid-Caused Osteoporosis
Teriparatide built more bone mass and prevented more vertebral fractures than alendronate in the first head-to-head study of the two drugs for glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis...

Wednesday Nov 21, 2007
Researchers "Shocked" at Enbrel's Efficacy in JRA
Etanercept (Enbrel®) is safe and effective in the long-term treatment of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), according to new 8-year outcome data...

Friday Nov 16, 2007
Certolizumab Induces Faster Responses in RA
Thirty percent of RA patients treated with certolizumab plus MTX reached ACR20 within the first week of treatment; 50% reached ACR20 within 2 weeks...

Wednesday Nov 14, 2007
Trubion Reports Data From Phase IIb and Re-Treatment Studies With TRU-015 in RA Patients 
Trubion Pharmaceuticals Inc, a biopharmaceutical company creating a pipeline of product candidates to treat autoimmune disease and cancer, announced that TRU-015, its lead Small Modular ImmunoPharmaceutical drug candidate for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), provided statistically significant efficacy after a single infusion of 800 mg or 1600 mg compared with placebo for a 24-week period...

Monday Nov 12, 2007
Rheumatologists Optimistic About IL-6 Blocker Tocilizumab
The interleukin-6 (IL-6) blocker tocilizumab is safe, effective, and improves quality of life for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients...

Saturday Nov 10, 2007
More Fallout From the COX-2 Debacle: Increasing Rates of Serious GI Complications

Physicians need to be more vigilant about prescribing proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) to their arthritis patients who take traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), because the number of serious gastrointestinal complications is on the rise since the COX-2 drugs fell from grace...

Friday Nov 09, 2007
Breaking News: Merck Tosses in Towel on Vioxx Settlements
After years of promising to fight each individual lawsuit brought by former users of Vioxx, Merck has agreed to settle 27,000 cases...

Thursday Nov 08, 2007
Centocor, Schering-Plough's Anti-TNF Golimumab Significantly Reduced Signs and Symptoms of AS in Phase III Study; Monthly Treatment Yielded Marked Improvements in Physical Function
Centocor, Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, announced that more than half of patients receiving monthly subcutaneous injections of golimumab 50 mg and 100 mg experienced significant and sustained improvements in the signs and symptoms of active ankylosing spondylitis (AS), according to the phase III study (GO-RAISE trial) results...

Thursday Nov 08, 2007
Serum Uric Acid May Be Independent Risk Factor in RA Cardiovascular Disease
Elevated serum uric acid, a potentially modifiable problem, may be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease in patients with RA...

Thursday Nov 08, 2007
Biomarkers May Identify Risk for Preeclampsia in Lupus Pregnancies
Measuring levels of circulating antiangiogenic factors sFlt-1 and sEng may help identify which patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and/or antiphospholipid antibodies will develop preeclampsia...

Wednesday Nov 07, 2007
Osteologix Reports Osteoporosis Phase II Trial of Strontium Malonate Meets Primary Endpoint
Osteologix, Inc, a specialty biopharmaceutical company targeting musculoskeletal diseases, announced positive top-line results of an international, randomized, double-blind, active-controlled phase II dose-response of its lead investigational drug, strontium malonate (NB S101) for osteoporosis...

Thursday Nov 01, 2007
Few Remissions From Switching to Other DMARDs After MTX Failure
If initial MTX fails to produce remission in RA, adding or switching to other conventional DMARDs is also unlikely to produce remissions...

Friday Oct 26, 2007
Rituximab May "Reboot" Immune System in Some Lupus Patients

A subgroup of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients treated with rituximab to deplete B-cells have delayed recovery of memory B-cells in addition to a prolonged response, suggesting that treatment helps "reboot" the immune system...

Wednesday Oct 24, 2007
PPIs Cost-Effective for Elderly Taking NSAIDs, VA Study Shows
Routine use of PPIs would be cost-effective for elderly NSAID users...

Wednesday Oct 24, 2007
GSK and Tolerx Form Worldwide Collaboration for Development and Commercialization of Otelixizumab (TRX4) for T-Cell Mediated Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases
GlaxoSmithKline and Tolerx, Inc announced a worldwide alliance to develop and commercialize otelixizumab (TRX4), a novel humanized anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody that has potential across a broad range of T-cell mediated autoimmune and inflammatory diseases including psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis...

Wednesday Oct 17, 2007
Horizon Initiates Long-Term Phase III Safety Study for GI-friendly NSAID, HZT-501
Horizon Therapeutics, Inc, a privately-held, late-stage biopharmaceutical company, has initiated a phase III follow-on safety study (HZ-CA-304) of its lead product candidate HZT-501, an investigational prescription NSAID (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug) designed to be "GI-friendly"...

Thursday Oct 04, 2007
Celera Receives Clinical Milestone Payment Based on Merck's Advancement of Odanacatib, a Cathepsin K Inhibitor; Phase III Trial for Osteoporosis Initiated
Celera, an Applera Corp business, announced a clinical milestone payment of $2 million from Merck & Co, Inc, under the cathepsin K inhibitor collaboration agreement between the companies...

Friday Sep 28, 2007
Surprise Data From ASBMR: Keep Antiresorptive Going When Adding Teriparatide
A randomized trial testing whether osteoporosis patients on long-term antiresorptive treatment benefit more from switching to teriparatide or from adding the new drug shows conclusively that it is better to add than to switch...

Tuesday Sep 25, 2007
Radius Grants Novartis Exclusive Option to License BA058, an Analog of PTHrP, for Osteoporosis; Potentially Worth Over $500 Million 
Radius Health, Inc, a company focused on the discovery and development of drug therapies for osteoporosis and women's health, announced that it has granted Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp an option to obtain an exclusive worldwide license (except Japan) to develop and commercialize all formulations of BA058, its postmenopausal osteoporosis drug candidate...

Wednesday Sep 19, 2007
Sosei's Fibromyalgia Phase II Trial of Nonopioid Analgesic, AD 337, Fails to Achieve Primary Endpoint
Sosei Group Corp, an international biopharmaceutical company focused on drug reprofiling, announced that its phase II proof-of-principle trial of AD 337 (an enantiomer of an approved, centrally acting, nonopioid, analgesic) for the treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) failed to achieve a statistically significant outcome in its primary endpoint at 4 weeks...

Tuesday Sep 18, 2007
Inhaler Might Replace PTH Self-Injection to Prevent Postmenopausal Osteoporosis
Parathyroid hormone effectively increases postmenopausal BMD but has the downside of requiring self injection, which decreases compliance. Delivery of a PTH analogue via a dry-powder inhaler might be just as good...Morley P, et al. ASBMR 2007.

Monday Sep 17, 2007
Anesiva Initiates New Phase II Trial of Adleaâ„¢ for Pain Relief Following Total Knee Arthroplasty
Anesiva, Inc, a publicly-held, late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutic treatments for pain management, announced that it has initiated a new phase II study of Adleaâ„¢, a long-acting, nonopiate TRPV1 agonist, for the relief of postoperative pain in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA)...

Friday Sep 14, 2007
Doctors Often Scoff at Reports of Statin Myopathy, UCSD Researchers Say

Myopathy is the most common adverse drug reaction (ADR) reported by patients taking statins, but a new study finds that doctors often wrongly dismiss these reports...Golomb BA, et al. Drug Safety. 2007;30:669-675.

Friday Sep 14, 2007
Autoantibodies Associated With Lupus Can Be Removed by Plasmapheresis
Antibodies against the VRT101 laminin epitope correlate with SLE disease activity and can be removed by extracorporeal immunoadsorption...Amital H, et al. Rheumatology. 2007; doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kem181 [Epub ahead of print].

Friday Sep 07, 2007
Archus Orthopedics Completes World's First Lumbosacral Facet Joint Replacement 
Archus Orthopedics, Inc, a privately-held company developing reconstructive implants to treat a variety of spine disorders resulting from degenerative changes in the facet joints, announced that it has successfully completed in Europe the first human implants of its new TFAS-LS^â„¢ system, representing the first ever facet joint replacement procedures performed at the lumbosacral spinal (LS) level...

Wednesday Sep 05, 2007
Health Canada Approves Actonel® 75 mg; First 2-Day Monthly Dosing Regimen to Treat Postmenopausal Osteoporosis
The Alliance for Better Bone Health, formed in 1997 by Procter & Gamble and Aventis Pharmaceuticals Inc (now part of sanofi-aventis) to promote bone health and disease awareness, announced that the government's Health Canada has approved Actonel® (risedronate sodium tablets) 75 mg, the first monthly 2-day dosing regimen for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis...

Friday Aug 31, 2007
TNF Inhibitors Raise Risk for Skin Cancers But Not Other Malignancies
The final report from a large observational study of more than 13,000 patients clears TNF inhibitors of increasing the incidence of solid tumors or lymphomas but finds that TNF-inhibitor treatment is associated with a significant increase in melanomas and other skin cancers…Wolfe F, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2007;56:2886-2895.

Thursday Aug 30, 2007
Vitamin K₂ Supplements Protect Bone Architecture
Three years of dietary supplementation with vitamin K₂ maintained bone strength and architecture despite having little effect on BMD...

Tuesday Aug 28, 2007
New Zealand Regulatory Authority, Medsafe, Revokes Consents for Prexige® 200 mg and 400 mg Tablets; Novartis Issues Recall Notice 
The Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority, Medsafe, has revoked the consents allowing the supply in New Zealand of the COX-2 anti-inflammatory medicine Prexige (lumiracoxib) 200 mg and 400 mg tablets on the grounds that the tablets can no longer be administered or used safely for the purposes indicated in the regulatory application for consent...

Monday Aug 27, 2007
Harkness Dance Medicine Head Urges Clinicians to Prepare for the "High School Musical 2" Generation

Musicals are back, dance classes are filled, clinicians are facing more dancers or former dancers with musculoskeletal problems, and dance medicine experts are urging clinicians to heed the beat of dancing feet...

Wednesday Aug 22, 2007
PsA Patients May Benefit From Statin Therapy
New research linking PsA with subclinical atherosclerosis may point to a potential role for statin therapy in these patients…Gonzalez-Juanatey C, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2007;57:1074-1080.

Tuesday Aug 14, 2007
Novartis Withdraws Lumiracoxib (Prexige®) in Australia in Response to Decision From Therapeutic Goods Administration to Cancel Registration
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Australia Pty Ltd announced the immediate recall of all doses (100 mg, 200 mg, and 400 mg tablets) of lumiracoxib (Prexige®), a COX-2 inhibitor for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) and acute pain...

Thursday Aug 02, 2007
Stem Cell Transplants Offer Hope for Children With Severe, Refractory JIA
Intensive immunosuppression followed by T-cell-depleted autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation offers refractory JIA patients a chance for remission, but is it worth the risks?…Brinkman DMC, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2007;56:2410-2421.

Thursday Aug 02, 2007
FDA Stops Arthritis Gene Therapy Trial After Patient Dies
CIAOMed takes an in-depth look into what went wrong in the inflammatory arthritis gene therapy trial that resulted in a patient's death and what this incident may mean for the future of gene trials, particularly in arthritis...

Thursday Aug 02, 2007
TNF Inhibitors May Restore Adrenal Function in RA
TNF inhibitors appear to improve adrenal function in some RA patients, resulting in restoration of stable hormonal homeostasis...

Wednesday Jul 25, 2007
Targeted Genetics' Inflammatory Arthritis Phase I/II Trial Placed on Clinical Hold
Targeted Genetics Corp, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, announced that after recent discussions with the US FDA, the phase I/II clinical study of tgAAC94, an investigational therapy for the treatment of inflammatory arthritis, has been placed on clinical hold.

Friday Jul 20, 2007
OA Experts Discuss Inflammation, Joint Protection, Need for Disease-Modifying OA Drugs
CIAOMed's roundtable of osteoarthritis experts discuss the role of inflammation in OA, the possibility that OA joint damage might be preventable, and the future role of disease-modifying drugs in OA....

Tuesday Jul 17, 2007
Prospective Study Validates ESR and CRP as Screening Tests for Infection Before Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty

ESR and CRP can be used to differentiate infected from noninfected knees prior to revision total knee arthroplasty…

Thursday Jul 12, 2007
Coffee Consumption Slashes Gout Risk
Coffee may stave off gout before it starts, but patients who do develop gout are likely to receive suboptimal care...

Wednesday Jul 11, 2007
Genzyme's Pivotal Trial of Hylastan for OA of the Knee Fails to Achieve Primary Endpoint
Genzyme Corp announced unfavorable topline results from a pivotal study investigating the safety and efficacy of hylastan, a viscosupplementation product, in treating pain in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee...

Wednesday Jul 11, 2007
Corin's Hip Resurfacing System Gains US FDA Approval; Stryker to Market in the US in Third Quarter of 2007
Stryker Corp, one of the world's leading medical technology companies with a broad range of products in orthopaedics, announced that it will begin marketing the Corin Group PLC's CormetTM Hip Resurfacing System by  the third quarter of 2007...

Monday Jul 09, 2007
Zap Away Knee OA Pain With Pulsed Electrostimulation
Pulsed electrostimulation may be a safe and effective way to reduce pain and improve function in knee OA patients...

Monday Jul 09, 2007
P&GP and Dong Wha Form Osteoporosis Alliance
Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a subsidiary of Procter & Gamble, and Dong Wha Pharmaceutical Ind Co, a leading Korean pharmaceutical company, announced a strategic alliance under which P&GP will have rights to develop and commercialize Dong Wha's novel class of molecules for the treatment of osteoporosis, including the drug DW 1350 and a family of backup compounds...

Friday Jul 06, 2007
Chi-Med Announces Positive Phase II Data for Botanical Compound, HMPL-004, in Ulcerative Colitis

Chi-Med, the Hutchison Whampoa-backed pharmaceutical and healthcare group, announced positive results for its phase II proof-of-concept study for HMPL-004 in mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC).

Thursday Jul 05, 2007
Anesiva Announces Phase II Data Showing Substantial, Long-Term Pain Reduction With Adleaâ„¢ (Formerly 4975) in OA of the Knee
Anesiva, Inc, a publicly-held, late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutic treatments for pain management, announced preliminary, long-term, follow-up results from a phase II study showing that treatment with Adleaâ„¢ (formerly 4975) in patients with moderate-to-severe osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee produced substantial pain reduction that lasted for up to 12 weeks...

Thursday Jul 05, 2007
Galapagos Expands OA Alliance With GSK
Galapagos NV, a drug-discovery company with clinical and preclinical programs in bone and joint diseases, announced that is has expanded its existing multiyear osteoarthritis (OA) alliance with GlaxoSmithKline and that it has issued 513,281 new shares for an investment of 4.4 million EUR (approximately 6 million USD) by GSK. In the expanded program, GSK will bring a drug-discovery program against a selected GSK target into the alliance, and Galapagos will advance a disease-modifying drug toward completion of clinical phase IIa (proof-of-concept phase), at which point GSK's global research and development branch will be responsible for the late-stage development, production, and marketing of the drug...

Tuesday Jul 03, 2007
Conventional Drugs Can Beat Back Early RA
Two-year data show that intensive treatment with methotrexate (MTX) and intra-articular corticosteroid can reduce X-ray progression in early RA...

Tuesday Jun 19, 2007
Single Dose of Denosumab Reduces Bone Erosion in RA
MRI and X-ray data show that a single dose of denosumab reduces progression of bone erosions in RA patients...

Monday Jun 18, 2007
GSK and Genmab Report Positive Phase II Results With Ofatumumab (HuMax-CD20) in Patients With RA
GlaxoSmithKline (PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvannia) and Genmab A/S (COPENHAGEN, Denmark) announced positive efficacy data from a phase II study of ofatumumab (HuMax-CD20®), a fully human monoclonal IgG1antibody targeting the CD20 antigen on the surface of B-cells, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)...

Monday Jun 18, 2007
Novartis Reports Improved BP Control With Prexige® (lumiracoxib) But Similar Efficacy Compared With Ibuprofen in Hypertensive OA Patients
Novartis Pharmaceuticals AG reported new trial data showing that patients with osteoarthritis (OA), who also have controlled hypertension, experienced a slight decrease in average daily blood pressure (BP) when treated with the selective COX-2 inhibitor PrexigeR (lumiracoxib) compared with a slight increase in those taking ibuprofen, a commonly-used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).

Friday Jun 15, 2007
Oral Steroid Use Lessens Lymphoma Risk in RA
Treatment with oral steroids for longer than 2 years appears to decrease lymphoma risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis...

Friday Jun 15, 2007
Two Thirds of Gout Patients Receiving No, or Not Enough Treatment
A number of new treatment options for gout are available, but the major clinical problem is that even after gout diagnosis, only about one third of patients receive urate-lowering therapy...

Wednesday Jun 13, 2007
Stopping AS May Require Earlier Use of TNF-Inhibitors
Inflammation in AS stops once the subchondral bone is eroded and the bone/cartilage interface disappears, so preventing bone erosion and syndesmophyte formation is likely to require early anti-inflammatory treatment, including TNF-inhibitors...

Friday Jun 08, 2007
CCL18 Might Help Monitor Pulmonary Fibrosis in Systemic Sclerosis
Changes in BAL fluid levels of the chemokine CCL18 reflect changes in pulmonary fibrotic activity and might be useful for monitoring disease activity in systemic sclerosis and idiopathic interstitial pneumonias...

Thursday Jun 07, 2007
High Plasma Homocysteine Predicts Hip Fracture
Elevated plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) may be a modifiable risk factor for osteoporotic hip fracture...

Thursday Jun 07, 2007
Leflunomide Trumps MTX for Preventing Relapse in Wegener's Granulomatosis; Side Effects Still a Worry
A head-to-head comparison of leflunomide and MTX for Wegener's granulomatosis was stopped early due to higher relapse rates with MTX...

Thursday May 31, 2007
Can NSAIDs Blunt the Cardioprotective Effects of Estrogen?
NSAIDs may interact with HT, potentially offsetting the cardioprotective effects observed in studies of either endogenous or exogenous estrogens...

Thursday May 31, 2007
Smoking Leads to Knee Cartilage Loss in Individuals With Family History of OA
Smoking leads to loss of knee cartilage and increased development of cartilage defects in individuals who have at least one parent with severe knee OA...

Thursday May 24, 2007
Is Mycophenolate Mofetil Plus Steroid Now Standard Therapy for Lupus Nephritis?
Mycophenolate mofetil plus corticosteroids may emerge as the de facto standard for lupus nephritis, even without regulatory approval...

Wednesday May 23, 2007
New SLE Treatments Hit B-Cells From Several Directions
Various new treatments directed at B-cells offer mounting interest in SLE arsenal...

Friday May 18, 2007
Little Benefit Found for Amitriptyline in JIA, But New Research Design May Speed Clinical Trials
Amitriptyline is ineffective for JIA pain, but multiple serial N-of-1 trials plus Bayesian meta-analysis can be used with low patient numbers to weed out treatments that don't merit study in large clinical trials...

Thursday May 17, 2007
Airport Metal Detectors Find Most Hip, Knee Replacements
Airport metal detectors on "high security" sweeps detect most hip and knee implants. Patients who have implants should be provided with a physician's letter describing the implant and are advised to report the implant to airport security before approaching the scanner...

Wednesday May 16, 2007
Is There Anything Statins Can't Do? Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs May Moderate RA
In addition to their lipid-lowering effects, statins may reduce disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients...

Tuesday May 08, 2007
2-Year Results Support Use of New Chondrocyte Graft to Repair Knee OA Damage
Two-year follow-up of a new 3-dimensional scaffold that permits grafting of autologous chondrocyte to repair knee cartilage defects show promising results in both knee OA and knee trauma, and the procedure can be done arthroscopically...

Thursday May 03, 2007
FDA Approves Labeling Update for Orencia® (Abatacept) to "Inhibiting" Structural Joint Damage in Adults with Moderate-to-Severe RA
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company announced that the US FDA has approved an update to the product labeling for Orencia® (abatacept) regarding the progression of structural joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients...

Wednesday May 02, 2007
Yearly Injection of Zoledronic Acid Cuts Spine Fracture Risk by 70%
A single intravenous 5-mg dose of zoledronic acid (Reclast®), given once yearly, can significantly reduce the risk of vertebral, hip,and other fractures, but its major advantage may lie in the ease of administration…

Tuesday May 01, 2007
MRI Erosions, Edema in RA  Are Due to Inflammatory Infiltrates in Bone Marrow
Bone erosions and bone marrow edema seen with MRI in joints affected by RA are due to inflammatory infiltrates that have invaded the bone marrow...

Friday Apr 27, 2007
Estrogen Exposure May Increase Lupus Risk
Lupus affects nine women for every one man. Is estrogen to blame?...

Thursday Apr 26, 2007
Balance Training May Help Reverse Frailty, Prevent Osteoporosis-Related Fractures
Balance training alone or in combination with strength, agility and jumping training can reduce the risk of falls and prevent frailty in women at risk of osteoporosis…

Wednesday Apr 25, 2007
Varus Alignment Doubles Risk for Knee OA in Overweight Subjects
Varus knee alignment precedes and doubles the risk of new-onset knee OA in overweight or obese subjects and worsens disease progression...

Thursday Apr 19, 2007
Little High-Quality Evidence Found for Either Diagnosis or Treatment of Septic Arthritis
A systematic review of research on septic arthritis finds little reliable evidence to guide either diagnosis or management. The review identifies antibiotic choice, route of administration, and duration as key unanswered questions, as well as whether closed aspiration or open arthroscopy/arthrotomy is better for cleaning out an infected joint...

Friday Apr 13, 2007
Better Pain Management Urged for OA Patients Awaiting Hip or Knee Replacement in U.K.
Most patients on waiting lists for hip or knee replacement in Britain, report continuing, severe pain and suboptimal levels of analgesia...

Thursday Apr 12, 2007
Cerimon Initiates Global Phase IIb Study of IL-2 Receptor Antagonist, Basiliximab, in Patients With Steroid-Refractory Ulcerative Colitis
Cerimon Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company engaged in the development and commercialization of therapeutics for  autoimmune diseases, inflammation associated with autoimmune diseases, and pain management, announced that it has begun enrolling patients in a phase IIb clinical study of its lead product candidate basiliximab (SimulectR, Novartis Pharma AG) for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC).

Thursday Apr 12, 2007
Dropping 5% of Weight in 20 Weeks Reduces Disability, Pain in Knee OA
Losing just 5% of total body weight within a 20-week period  — or 0.25% per week — should be enough for overweight or obese patients with knee OA to feel and function better. . .

Tuesday Apr 10, 2007
Spot Urine P/C Ratio Can Replace 24-Hour Urine Total Protein for Monitoring Lupus Nephritis in Most Cases
A new analysis adds further support to use spot urine protein-to-creatinine ratio, instead of 24-hour urine total protein, to monitor lupus nephritis activity and response to treatment...

Wednesday Apr 04, 2007
Repeated B-Cell Depletion Safe, Effective Over 5 Years in RA
B-cell depletion with rituximab was effective for an average of 15 months per cycle and was relatively well tolerated for up to 5 repeat cycles in patients with otherwise refractory RA...

Monday Apr 02, 2007
News Analysis: New FDA Conflict-of-Interest Guidelines May Impact Advisory Committees
FDA is moving to tighten financial conflict-of-interest guidelines for members of FDA advisory committees, despite evidence that excluding participants with such interests would have had no impact on the vote outcomes of prior meetings…

Thursday Mar 29, 2007
FDG-PET Does Not Predict PMR Relapse But Does Show Inflammation of Processi Spinosi
FDG-PET did not help identify polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) patients at high risk for relapse but did reveal a high level of inflammation of the processi spinosi, a novel finding that might help explain the morning stiffness reported by so many PMR patients...

Tuesday Mar 27, 2007
Osteoporosis Fractures, Costs Expected to Jump 50% by 2025

Hispanics likely to experience increases in fractures and their costs. Pelvic fractures and associated costs are expected to double by 2025…

Tuesday Mar 27, 2007
VentiRx Pharmaceuticals Completes $28.9 Million Series A Financing to Target Toll-Like Receptors
VentiRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc announced the closing of a $26.6 million Series A financing agreement, led by Frazier Healthcare Ventures, ARCH Venture Partners, and Domain Associates.

Thursday Mar 22, 2007
New Studies Urge Closer Monitoring for JIA-Related Uveitis, TNF-Inhibitors Effective For Difficult Cases

New studies report that uveitis occurs in up to 20% of JIA patients, that TNF-inhibitors may be effective in hard-to-treat cases, and that close monitoring for uveitis should continue even during arthritis remissions...

Tuesday Mar 20, 2007
POZEN Reports Positive Outcome for "Safer Aspirin" PA 325 Proof-of-Concept Study
POZEN Inc, a pharmaceutical company developing products for the treatment of acute and chronic pain, announced positive results of its "Safer Aspirin" PA 325 proof-of-concept study conducted during the fourth quarter of 2006...

Tuesday Mar 20, 2007
Two-Year BeSt Data Confirm Benefits of Early Combo DMARDs for Early RA, Highlight Importance of Tight Control and Individualized Treatment
Two-year data from the BeSt trial support initial combination therapy, changed as needed to sustain DAS <2.4, as most effective for preventing progression of early RA...

Thursday Mar 15, 2007
Unigene Receives $5.5 Million Milestone Payment for Calcitonin Collaboration in Initiation of Osteoporosis Phase III Clinical Trial

Unigene Laboratories, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company focusing on the oral and nasal delivery of large-market peptide drugs, announced that the initiation of a phase III clinical study conducted by Nordic Bioscience, the development partner with Novartis Pharmaceuticals AG, to treat osteoporosis with oral calcitonin has triggered a $5.5 million milestone payment due from Novartis to Unigene...
 

Thursday Mar 15, 2007
Cytochroma Completes Enrollment in Phase II Psoriasis Clinical Trial for CTA018, a Novel Vitamin D Analog
Cytochroma Inc, a privately-held, integrated specialty pharmaceutical company engaged in the development and commercialization of proprietary products related to vitamin D deficiency and novel vitamin D therapies to treat hyperproliferative disorders such as psoriasis and cancer, announced that it has completed the enrollment of patients in a phase II randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of CTA018, a cream base for chronic plaque psoriasis.

Monday Mar 12, 2007
Novartis, Nordic Bioscience to Initiate Osteoporosis Phase III Program Using Emisphere's Eligen^R Technology for Oral Salmon Calcitonin

Emisphere Technologies, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company pioneering the oral delivery of otherwise injectable drugs, announces that Novartis Pharmaceutical AG and its development partner Nordic Bioscience A/S will initiate a phase III clinical trial for the treatment of osteoporosis with an oral form of salmon calcitonin (SMC021), a new drug candidate, using Emisphere's eligen® delivery technology...

Monday Mar 05, 2007
AAN Therapeutics Panel Discourages Use of Epidural Steroid Injections for Radicular Low Back or Cervical Pain
The American Academy of Neurology's therapeutics and technology assessment subcommittee cautions against use of epidural steroid injections for radicular lumbosacral pain and concludes that there is insufficient evidence to make any recommendation for radicular cervical pain...

Thursday Mar 01, 2007
Larger Study Fails to Confirm Link Between Red Meat and RA
The largest study to date to examine dietary protein, iron, and meat consumption and risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has not confirmed a link between red meat intake and RA suggested by earlier studies...

Wednesday Feb 28, 2007
Atherogenic Lipid Profile Begins 10 Years Before Onset of RA
High levels of cholesterol and other blood lipids in RA patients may predate RA onset by as much as 10 years, and inflammation is only partially to blame...

Tuesday Feb 27, 2007
UCB Reports Significant Reduction in Joint Damage From Phase III Results With Cimzia in Rheumatoid Arthritis; Fc Region Present in Conventional Anti-TNFs Is Not Required for Activity
UCB, a global biopharmaceutical company, announced results of an international, multicenter, placebo-controlled phase III study (RAPID 1) involving nearly 1000 patients that evaluated the investigational agent Cimziaâ„¢ (certolizumab pegol)...

Tuesday Feb 20, 2007
Osiris's Chondrogenâ„¢ Adult Stem Cell Therapy Fails to Demonstrate Cartilage Regeneration According to Interim Results from Phase I/II Study
Osiris Therapeutics, a leader in adult stem cell therapy, announced that 6-month interim results from its phase I/II clinical study of Chondrogenâ„¢, a preparation of mesenchymal stem cells obtained from the bone marrow of healthy adult donors and specially formulated for direct injection into the knee for the regeneration of the meniscus in the knee and prevention of osteoarthritis, failed to demonstrate significant amounts of meniscal regeneration...

Thursday Feb 15, 2007
Experts at the 74th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Predict Clinically Useful Gene Therapy, Tissue Engineering Will Be Available "in 5 to 10 Years"
Presentations at the AAOS meeting include advances in both gene therapy and tissue-engineered products for cartilage, bone, and tendon repair...

Thursday Feb 15, 2007
Surgeons Warn Against Over-Use of "Minimally Invasive Surgery" for Hip Replacements
Surgeons at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 74th Annual Meeting questioned the advantages of minimally invasive hip replacement surgery compared with "gold standard" open THR... AAOS 2007 Annual Meeting.

Monday Feb 12, 2007
Biovitrum and Synphora Initiate Phase IIa Study of Prostaglandin Derivative as Psoriasis Treatment
Biovitrum AB, one of the largest biopharmaceutical companies in Europe, and Synphora AB (UPPSALA, Sweden), a privately-owned biotechnology company that focuses on prostanoid chemistry, announced the initiation of a phase IIa clinical trial of Synphora's prostaglandin derivative drug candidate JB991 for the treatment of psoriasis.

Thursday Feb 08, 2007
Centocor Releases Phase II Data on CNTO 1275, a Monoclonal Antibody Targeting IL-12/IL-23, for Chronic Plaque Psoriasis

Centocor, Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, announced that phase II data showed that patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis who received subcutaneous injections of CNTO 1275 experienced significant clearance of skin disease and significant improvements in quality of life...

Tuesday Jan 30, 2007
Arthritis Costs Consumed 1.2% of US GDP in 2003, but Per-Patient Costs Are Not Rising
CDC's latest analysis of direct and indirect costs of arthritis and related conditions finds a population-driven surge to $128 billion in 2003. The surprise is that per-person direct medical costs actually decreased slightly. Centers for Disease Control...

Friday Jan 19, 2007
Anesiva's Phase II and Phase III Pivotal Clinical Studies of 4975, a Long-Acting Pain Candidate, to Start in 2007 for Osteoarthritis and Postsurgical Pain (Total Knee Arthroplasty)
Anesiva, Inc. (SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, California), a publicly-held, late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutic treatments for pain management, announced the planned phase II/III clinical trial program for the development of 4975, a long-acting, nonopioid, capsaicin-based agonist of TRPV1 (transient receptor potential vanilloid 1; formerly known as vanilloid receptor 1 or VR1), a ligand-gated ion channel activated by agonists such as capsaicin and other factors (eg, heat and acidosis), for the acute treatment of severe pain including osteoarthritis (OA) and postsurgical pain...

Tuesday Jan 16, 2007
Horizon Therapeutics' Phase III Trial of GI-Friendly NSAID for Mild-to-Moderate Pain Relief, Including Patients With Osteoarthritis, to be Conducted Under a Special Protocol Assessment; Company Raises $15 Million in Series B Financing
Horizon Therapeutics, Inc, a privately-held, late-stage biopharmaceutical company is focusing on the development and commercialization of therapeutic treatments for mild-to-moderate pain management based on innovative combinations of approved pharmaceutical products that seek to improve safety, efficacy, and patient compliance.

Wednesday Jan 10, 2007
GlaxoSmithKline to Acquire Praecis Pharmaceuticals for US$54.8 Million; Acquisition Includes Inhibitor of Methionine Aminopeptidase Type-2 for RA
GlaxoSmithKline plc and Praecis Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (WALTHAM, Massachusetts) announced the execution of a definitive agreement providing for GSK to acquire all outstanding shares of Praecis' common stock for a cash purchase price of US$5.00 per share or a total of approximately $54.8 million for the entire equity interest of Praecis. The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of 2007.

Wednesday Jan 10, 2007
Osiris Receives US FDA Fast Track Status for Prochymalâ„¢ Stem Cell Therapy and Clearance to Start Phase III Clinical Trial in Treatment-Resistant Crohn's Disease
Osiris Therapeutics, a leader in adult stem cell therapy, announced that Prochymalâ„¢, a preparation of mesenchymal stem cells obtained from the bone marrow of healthy adult donors and specially formulated for intravenous infusion, has received fast-track designation from the US FDA, expediting the development of the stem cell treatment for Crohn's disease that does not respond to standard therapies.

Tuesday Jan 09, 2007
Pilot Study Data Support Trial of Intermittent versus Continuous Celecoxib in OA
 Intermittent celecoxib was not significantly less effective than continuous celecoxib in a pilot study of patients with hip or knee OA.

Monday Jan 08, 2007
Ethanol Prevents Joint Destruction in Mouse RA Model
Arthritis-prone mice obliged to drink 10% ethanol for 5 weeks were largely protected from developing destructive joint disease...

Thursday Jan 04, 2007
RA Emerges as Major Burden in Developing Countries
The average societal cost of RA cases in Thailand is estimated at over 40% of patients' average annual income...

Wednesday Jan 03, 2007
Nuvo Receives Approvable Letter from US FDA for Pennsaid, a Topical Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis of the Knee; Nuvo Licenses Canadian Pennsaid Plus Rights to Squire Pharmaceuticals, a Subsidiary of Paladin Labs
Nuvo Research Inc announced that it has received an approvable letter from the US FDA for Pennsaid® (1.5% w/w diclofenac sodium solution), a topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee.

Friday Dec 22, 2006
New Studies Suggest That Autoantibodies Damage Brain, Cause Cognitive Impairment in SLE Patients
The cognition and mood disturbances common in lupus patients might be due in part to autoantibodies that target the NMDA receptor and cause progressive damage of the amygdala and hippocampus...

Thursday Dec 21, 2006
ZymoGenetics and Serono Begin Phase II Clinical Trial with Atacicept (TACI-Ig) in RA
ZymoGenetics, Inc and Serono announced the start of a phase II clinical trial of their investigational therapeutic atacicept (formerly TACI-Ig) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter, dose-finding study will investigate the efficacy of atacicept in patients with an inadequate disease response to prior treatment with TNF inhibitors.

Wednesday Dec 20, 2006
GlaxoSmithKline and Genmab Enter Exclusive Global Agreement for HuMax-CD20, a B-cell Depletion Agent; Deal Potentially Worth US$2.1 Billion
GlaxoSmithKline plc and Genmab A/S announced a worldwide agreement to codevelop and commercialize HuMax-CD20â„¢ (ofatumumab), a fully human monoclonal IgG1antibody targeting the CD20 antigen on the surface of B cells and currently in phase II clinical trial development for active rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and in late-stage development for CD20 positive B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) and follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).

Thursday Dec 14, 2006
Transcranial Electrostim Reduces Pain, Confirms Fibromyalgia as a Central Pain Syndrome
Noninvasive transcranial direct current stimulation can relieve fibromyalgia pain, pilot study shows...

Monday Dec 11, 2006
GlaxoSmithKline to Acquire Domantis for US$454 Million
GlaxoSmithKline (LONDON, United Kingdom) announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Domantis Ltd (an early-stage, antibody-based therapeutics company) for US$454 million in cash.

Thursday Dec 07, 2006
Osteologix Initiates Phase II Clinical Trial of Strontium Malonate (NB S101) for Osteoporosis
Osteologix Inc, a developer of proprietary therapeutics for the treatment of bone disease and women's health, announced that it has initiated a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase II dose-response study in healthy postmenopausal women of its lead investigational drug, strontium malonate (NB S101) for osteoporosis.

Thursday Dec 07, 2006
High-Dose Immune Suppression With or Without Stem Cell Transplants For Systemic Sclerosis
Studies are evaluating stem cell transplantation as a potential treatment for autoimmune disease, however, researchers sharply disagree regarding myeloablative vs nonmyeloablative approaches and whether stem cells are really necessary...

Friday Dec 01, 2006
Registry Study Says RA Biologics Raise Odds of Melanomas and Skin Cancers, Not Other Malignancies

The latest attempt to sort out the relationship between TNF inhibitors and cancer risk in RA patients found no increase in overall cancer risk, but substantial increases in melanoma and nonmelanomatous skin cancer rates in patients treated with these agents...Wolfe F, et al. Presented at: ACR 2006 Meeting.

Monday Nov 27, 2006
Rituximab in RA
Rituximab prevents joint damage, can be given repeatedly, and does not block response to influenza vaccine in RA patients... Presented at ACR 2006 Meeting.

Monday Nov 20, 2006
Pregabalin Offers Durable Pain Relief in Fibromyalgia
The anticonvulsant pregabalin may offer extended pain relief to fibromyalgia patients... Crofford LJ, et al. Presented at: ACR 2006 Meeting.

Thursday Nov 16, 2006
Can-Fite Presents Results Showing a Correlation Between High Expression of the Receptor Target for Its Drug CF101 and Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients' Response to the Drug
Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd, a clinical-stage drug development company focused on a portfolio of orally bioavailable, highly selective, small molecule A(3) adenosine receptor (A[3]AR) agonists with potent activities in inflammation and cancer, announced that it presented results showing a correlation between high expression of the receptor target for its investigational A(3)AR agonist CF101 and the response of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients to treatment with the drug, at the 70th Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology and the 41st Annual Meeting of the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals in Washington, DC.

Wednesday Nov 15, 2006
Once-Yearly Zoledronic Acid Injection Reduces Fracture Risk, Improves Bone Structure in Postmenopausal Women With Osteoporosis
Once-yearly injections of zoledronic acid 5 mg reduces fracture risk, improves bone mineral density, and improves bone structure in women with osteoporosis... Black DM, Recker RR. Presented at ACR 2006 Meeting.

Tuesday Nov 07, 2006
Ablynx, Wyeth Sign Exclusive Research and License Agreement for Nanobodies® Directed at TNF-α and Its Receptors
Ablynx, a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of a novel class of therapeutic proteins based on single-domain antibody fragments (Nanobodies®) announced that they have entered into a research collaboration and exclusive worldwide license agreement with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals (a division of Wyeth) to discover, develop, and commercialize Nanobodies directed at TNF-α and its receptors, targeting diseases in multiple therapeutic areas.

Thursday Nov 02, 2006
Disappointing Results in Study of Stem Cells for Cartilage Repair
Hopes that adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) might be used to create chondrocytes for patching cartilage had a setback when researchers found that culturing them in the usual  chondrogenic medium did not produce tissues capable of becoming stable articular cartilage in vivo...

Monday Oct 23, 2006
Osiris Reports Positive Initial Results from Pilot Phase II Study of its Prochymalâ„¢ Stem Cell Therapy in Treatment-Resistant Crohn's Disease
Osiris Therapeutics, a leader in adult stem cell therapy, announced positive results from a pilot 10-patient phase II study using Prochymalâ„¢, an intravenous formulation of mesenchymal stem cells obtained from the bone marrow of healthy volunteer donors, for the treatment of patients with moderate to severe Crohn's disease (CD) who had failed to respond to standard treatments, such as steroids and infliximab (RemicadeR, Centocor, Inc).

Monday Oct 23, 2006
Centocor's Remicade® Receives Expanded Indication From US FDA for Ulcerative Colitis: Maintains Clinical Remission and Mucosal Healing
Centocor, Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, announced that the US FDA has approved RemicadeR (infliximab) for maintaining clinical remission and mucosal healing in patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) who have had an inadequate response to conventional therapy.

Monday Oct 16, 2006
Potassium Citrate Supplements Increase Bone Mass
Potassium citrate supplements might help postmenopausal women with osteopenia increase their bone mineral density (BMD)... Jehle S, et al. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2006;17:3213–3222.

Wednesday Oct 11, 2006
Experts Debate Effect of Menopause on SLE
Lupus improves over time regardless of menopausal status…Urowitz, M, et al. J Rheum. 2006 Sept 15; [Epub ahead of print].

Tuesday Oct 10, 2006
Trubion Initiates Phase IIb Clinical Trial of CD20-Targeted TRU-015 for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Trubion Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing treatments for autoimmune diseases and cancer, announced it has initiated a phase IIb clinical trial of TRU-015, the company's lead Small Modular ImmunoPharmaceutical (SMIPâ„¢) CD20-targeted drug candidate for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) via B-cell depletion...

Friday Oct 06, 2006
Isotechnika's Calcineurin Inhibitor (ISA247) Receives Regulatory Green Light for Phase III Psoriasis Trials in Canada and Germany, Poland Is Pending
Isotechnika Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel immunosuppressive therapeutics for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and for use in the prevention of organ rejection in transplantation, announced that it has received a No Objection Letter from Health Canada and similar approval from the German Competent Authority to conduct a pivotal phase III clinical trial of its lead immunosuppressive, oral calcineurin inhibitor drug candidate, ISA247 (an isomeric cyclosporine A analog mixture), for the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis...

Tuesday Oct 03, 2006
Genzyme's Synvisc Receives European Approval to Expand Label to Include the Treatment of OA Pain of the Ankle and Shoulder
Genzyme Corporation announced that it has received European approval to expand the CE mark labeling for SynviscR (hylan G-F 20) to include treatment of pain due to osteoarthritis (OA) of the ankle and shoulder. Genzyme expects to begin marketing Synvisc in the EU with its new label immediately.

Monday Oct 02, 2006
La Jolla Pharmaceutical to Expand Number of Clinical Trial Sites for Its Phase III International Trial of Riquent for the Treatment of Lupus Renal Disease
La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company (SAN DIEGO, Calif.), a biotechnology company developing therapeutics for antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases and inflammation, announced  progress and the expansion of its phase III trial of Riquent® (abetimus sodium, previously referred to as LJP 394) for the treatment of lupus renal disease, a leading cause of sickness and death in patients with lupus.

Friday Sep 29, 2006
US Docs Question RCT of Meniscus Repair Arrow, Norwegians Persevere
Rigid, bioabsorbable internal tacks have become popular for repairing meniscus tears, but problems identified with longer follow-up are leading many US orthopedists to shift to suture-based approaches. The arrow will be compared with a newer suture-based system in a Norwegian randomized clinical trial... Gifstad T, et al. Am J Sports Med. 2006;14 September 2006 [Epub ahead of print].

Tuesday Sep 26, 2006
Genmab Completes Accrual in Anti-CD20 Antibody Phase II RA Study
Genmab A/S, a biotechnology company that creates and develops human antibodies for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other inflammatory conditions, cancer, and infectious disease, announced it has completed enrollment in the HuMax-CD20â„¢ (ofatumumab) phase II study to treat patients with active RA who have failed treatment with one or more disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), including biologics.

Tuesday Sep 26, 2006
New Markers Predict Lupus Kidney, Heart Risks
Cholesterol, homocysteine, and hs-CRP show promise as markers for elevated risk in lupus patients. Tisseverasinghe A, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2006; 54:2211-2219; Von Feldt JM, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2006; 54:2220-2227; Karadag O, et al. Clin Rheumatol. 2006; [Epub ahead of print]

Tuesday Sep 26, 2006
Can-Fite BioPharma Licenses Its A(3) Adenosine Receptor Agonist (CF101) to Seikagaku to Develop and Market in Japan for Inflammatory diseases
Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd, a clinical-stage drug development company focused on a portfolio of orally bioavailable, highly selective, small-molecule A(3) adenosine receptor (A3AR) agonists with potent activities in inflammation and cancer, announced that it has signed an exclusive license agreement with a Japanese research-based pharmaceutical company, Seikagaku Corporation, to develop and market its lead orally bioavailable A3AR agonist, CF101 (1-deoxy-1-(6-[([3-iodophenyl] methyl) amino]-9H-purin-9-yl)-N-methyl-β-d-ribofuranuronamide), in Japan for the treatment of inflammatory indications including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) but not including ophthalmic indications.

Tuesday Sep 19, 2006
Ibuprofen After Hip Replacement Does More Harm Than Good
The common practice of taking ibuprofen after total hip replacement reduces ectopic bone formation but has no significant effect on pain or function and doubles the risk of serious bleeding complications. Frasen M, et al. BMJ. 2006; 2 Aug 2006 [Epub ahead of print]

Thursday Sep 14, 2006
Gout Is an Independent Risk Factor for Acute MI
New data show that gout, the most common inflammatory arthritis in the US population, is the third highest risk factor for acute MI after smoking and family history... Krishnan E, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2006;54:2688-2696.

Thursday Sep 07, 2006
First Trimester NSAID Use Raises Risk of Birth Defects
Women who use NSAIDs during the first trimester of pregnancy are significantly more likely to bear children with congenital heart problems or other birth defects... Ofori B, et al. Birth Defects Research (Part B). 21 August 2006 [Epub ahead of print]

Thursday Sep 07, 2006
Overall Lupus Mortality Drops, but SLE Cardiovascular Death Rates Increase
As death rates continue to plummet in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), physicians need to treat cardiovascular symptoms aggressively while balancing the need for immune suppressant therapy against the risk of fatal infection... Bernatsky S, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2006;54:2550-2557

Wednesday Aug 30, 2006
Joint Distraction May Delay Need for Joint Replacement in Advanced Osteoarthritis
Temporarily stretching knees or ankles a bit to take the load off cartilage and subchondral bone promotes healing, reduces pain, improves function, and might help some osteoarthritis patients defer or even avoid total joint replacement...

Thursday Aug 24, 2006
Does Skipping Breakfast Endanger Your Joints?
New data from chondroitin researchers suggests that low sulfate levels in blood might lead to poor-quality cartilage by causing undersulfation of chondroitin in the joints... Blinn CM, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2006;651223-1225.

Tuesday Aug 22, 2006
Ethnicity, Poor Coping Styles and Lack of Social Support Predict More Active SLE
Socioeconomic, demographic, and psychological factors affect SLE disease activity levels, and some of these variables may be modifiable in ways that improve disease outcomes... Alarcón GS, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2006;65:1168-1174.

Tuesday Aug 15, 2006
Centocor's REMICADE Receives Expanded Psoriatic Arthritis Indication
Centocor, Inc. announced that the US FDA has expanded marketing approval for Remicade® (infliximab) to inhibiting the progression of structural damage and improving physical function in patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA), in addition to reducing the signs and symptoms of active arthritis. 

Monday Aug 14, 2006
TissueGene Initiates Phase I Study of TissueGene-C in Patients With Degenerative Joint Disease of the Knee Prior to Total Knee Arthroplasty
TissueGene, Inc. announced the initiation of a phase I clinical trial of the company's cell-mediated therapy, TissueGene-C (TG-C).

Friday Aug 11, 2006
Fish Oil Reduces CV Risk Factors, NSAID Requirements in RA Patients
Two tablespoons of fish oil per day significantly improved some cardiovascular risk factors and reduced NSAID requirements in patients with rheumatoid arthritis... Cleland LG, et al. J Rheumatol. 2006 Aug 01; [Epub ahead of print]

Thursday Aug 10, 2006
HGS to Initiate Phase III Trials of LymphoStat-B in Lupus; to Receive $24 Million from GSK
Human Genome Sciences, Inc. announced its phase III clinical development plans for LymphoStat-Bâ„¢ (belimumab, a human monoclonal antibody that specifically inhibits the biological activity of B-lymphocyte stimulator [BLyS], a protein required for the development of B-lymphocyte cells into mature plasma B cells) in patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Thursday Aug 10, 2006
La Jolla Pharmaceutical Reactivates Enrollment in Phase III Study of Riquent in Lupus; Patients to Receive Higher Doses Than in Previous Studies
La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company announced that it has reactivated enrollment in its phase III 12-month treatment trial of RiquentR (abetimus sodium) for the treatment of lupus renal disease.

Tuesday Jul 25, 2006
Nuvo's Pennsaid® NDA Resubmission for the Treatment of Osteoporosis Accepted for Review by US FDA
Nuvo Research Inc announced that it has resubmitted its New Drug Application (NDA) for Pennsaid® (1.5% w/w diclofenac sodium solution), a topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) used for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee to the US FDA.

Thursday Jul 20, 2006
Bioengineered Cartilage Successfully Transplanted in Osteoarthritic Knees
Cells taken from areas of healthy cartilage can be grown on hyaluronic acid scaffolds and used to patch damaged knees, even joints that have already progressed to osteoarthritis....Hollander AP,  et al. Tissue Engineering 2006;12:1-12.

Wednesday Jul 19, 2006
ZymoGenetics and Serono Obtain Positive Results from TACI-Ig Phase Ib Trial in RA
ZymoGenetics, Inc, and Serono announced results from an exploratory dose-escalating, single- and repeat-dose phase Ib clinical trial with TACI-Ig (atacicept) in 73 adult patients with active, moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Tuesday Jul 18, 2006
Protalex Raises $15.2 Million to Advance PRTX-100 in Phase II for Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura
Protalex, Inc, announced that it has raised approximately $15.2 million in gross proceeds in a private placement. Investors participating in this transaction include LBI Group Inc, vSpring Capital, CIDC Inc, Emerging Technology Partners, and additional selected institutional and accredited private investors.

Thursday Jul 06, 2006
Controlled Trial Shows That Acupuncture Improves Fibromyalgia Symptoms
Acupuncture may be a reasonable adjunct to fibromyalgia treatment…Martin, D, et al. Mayo Clinic Proc. 2006;81:749-757.

Tuesday Jun 27, 2006
Bosentan Prevents Digital Ulcers, Improves Heart Function in Systemic Sclerosis
Bosentan reduces digital ulcer risk and improves heart function in systemic sclerosis patients... Allanore Y, et al. Presented at: EULAR 2006 Meeting; June 21–34, 2006; Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Abstract OP0120.

Saturday Jun 24, 2006
Doctors Urged to Recognize Toll RA Takes on Patient's Sex Life
Health practitioners should be willing to provide information about sexual aids and positions that will allow patients with rheumatoid arthritis to continue to enjoy a healthy sex life without risking joint pain or damage... Helland Y, et al. EULAR 2006 Meeting; June 21–24, 2006; Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Abstract OP0134.

Friday Jun 23, 2006
Rituximab Inhibits Progression of Joint Damage in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rituximab plus MTX significantly slows joint damage in RA... Keystone E, et al. 2006 EULAR Meeting; June 21–24, 2006; Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Friday Jun 09, 2006
Cytopia Signs Exclusive License and Collaboration Agreement With Novartis for JAK3 Kinase Inhibitors in Autoimmune Diseases and Transplant Rejection
Cytopia Ltd announced the execution of a worldwide license and R&D collaboration agreement with Novartis to develop orally active, small-molecule therapeutics targeting JAK3 kinase...

Thursday May 25, 2006
Meniscus Allografts Survive, Provide "Shock Absorber" in Severe Arthritis
Meniscus retread might help delay need for total knee replacement... Stone KR, et al. Arthroscopy. 2006;22:469-478.

Wednesday May 24, 2006
Centocor's Remicade^R Approved by US FDA for Pediatric Crohn's Disease
Centocor Inc announced US FDA approval of Remicade® (infliximab) for reducing signs and symptoms and inducing and maintaining clinical remission in pediatric patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease...

Wednesday May 24, 2006
Bone-Sparing, Metal-on-Metal Hip Resurfacing System Benefits Young, Active Patients
A just-approved bone-sparing hip-resurfacing system will likely relieve pain and improve hip function among younger, active patients who have good bone quality, but caveats remain...

Monday May 22, 2006
Second Year of FACT Trial Confirms Alendronate Advantage Over Risedronate for Preventing Bone Loss
Twenty-four-month data show that alendronate surpasses risedronate in reducing the risk of bone loss in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis... Bonnick S, et al. Clin Endocrin Metab. 24 April 2006; [Epub ahead of print]

Monday May 15, 2006
Infliximab Cools Spinal Inflammation in AS
Six months of infliximab significantly reduced MRI-proven sites of spinal inflammation in patients with ankylosing spondylitis... Braun J, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2006;54:1646-1652.

Tuesday May 09, 2006
Calcium Supplements Don't Reduce Fracture Risk Unless Patients Take Them
Supplementation with calcium carbonate tablets is ineffective at reducing fracture rates in the ambulatory elderly as a mass public health intervention due to poor long-term compliance, but the supplements are effective in patients who actually take them... Prince RL, et al. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:869-875.

Thursday May 04, 2006
CV Risk With Vioxx Rises in First 60 Days
Rofecoxib (Vioxx) increases the risk of cardiovascular events, typically within the first 60 days of use, while naproxen reduces such risk, and other coxibs and nonselective NSAIDs have no effect... Solomon DH, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2006;54:1378-1389.

Friday Apr 28, 2006
Brief Pulse of Ultraviolet-A Light Provides Site-Specific Gene Therapy for Damaged Articular Cartilage
A brief pulse of ultraviolet-A light may currently be the safest way to provide site-specific gene therapy for damaged articular cartilage... Maloney MD, et al. J Bone Joint Surg. 2006;88:753-761.

Wednesday Apr 26, 2006
TNF-alpha Inhibitors Increase Postop Infection Risk in RA Patients
The first systematic investigation linking TNF inhibitor therapy in RA to postoperative infections suggests that clinicians should consider interrupting anti-TNF treatment prior to orthopaedic surgery procedures... Giles JT, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2006;55:333-337

Monday Apr 17, 2006
LEO Pharma and Warner Chilcott Launch Taclonex®, a Dual-Action, Once-Daily, Topical Therapy for Plaque Psoriasis in the US

Warner Chilcott, of Rockaway, NJ, and LEO Pharma A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, announced that Taclonex® (calcipotriene 0.005% and betamethasone dipropionate 0.064%) is now available for prescription in the US...

Tuesday Apr 11, 2006
Biogen Idec to Sell Worldwide Rights to Its Psoriasis Drug Amevive to Astellas for $60 Million
Astellas Pharma US, Inc, of Deerfield, Illinois, and Biogen Idec Inc, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, announced an agreement for Astellas to purchase the worldwide rights, in all indications, to Amevive® (alefacept)...

Tuesday Apr 04, 2006
Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc, Raises $65 Million to Support Continued Clinical Development of Human Alpha-fetoprotein in RA and Psoriasis
Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, announced that it has raised $65 million in a Series E private equity financing to advance the company's lead product, MM-093, a recombinant version of human alpha-fetoprotein (hAFP)...

Monday Apr 03, 2006
Galapagos NV and Arthrogen BV Enter Gene Therapy Target Discovery Alliance for RA
Galapagos NV, of Mechelen, Belgium, announced that its service division, BioFocus, has entered into a 3-year target discovery alliance...

Wednesday Mar 22, 2006
Inhibiting Osteopontin May Stave Off Wear Debris–Induced Osteolysis
Inhibiting the bone-specific protein osteopontin may prevent wear debris–induced osteolysis... Shimizu S, et al. Presented at: 52nd Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society; March 18–22, 2006; Chicago, Ill. Abstract 92.

Friday Mar 17, 2006
High BMI Increases Risk for Total Hip Arthroplasty
High body mass index is a risk factor for total hip arthroplasty... Flugsrud GB, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2006;54:802-807.

Monday Mar 06, 2006
Trubion Eligible to Receive Over $800 Million in Milestone Payments From Wyeth in Strategic Alliance to Co-develop and Commercialize Trubion's SMIPâ„¢ Technology for Inflammatory Disease and Cancer
Trubion Pharmaceuticals, Inc, of Seattle, Washington, and Wyeth of Madison, New Jersey, announced that they have formed a strategic alliance for the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel SMIPâ„¢ biologics...

Thursday Mar 02, 2006
Denosumab Shows Promise in Phase II Study of Bone Mineral Density
Twice yearly injections of denosumab (previously known as AMG 162) significantly increased bone mineral density in the total hip, lumbar spine, distal 1/3 radius, and total body of postmenopausal women compared with placebo... McClung MR, et al. N Engl J Med. 2006;354:821-831.

Friday Feb 17, 2006
Calcium With Vitamin D Does Not Decrease Risk of Hip Fracture in Postmenopausal Women
Calcium with vitamin D does not decrease risk of hip fracture and only shows a modest benefit in bone density... Jackson RD, et al. New Engl J Med. 2006;354:669-683.

Monday Feb 06, 2006
Explicit Appropriateness Criteria Predicts Joint Replacement Success

Knee and hip arthroplasty patients who were considered appropriate candidates for joint replacement surgeries fared better than those who were considered inappropriate candidates, according to new research seeking to identify the best criteria for total knee and hip replacement... Quintana JM, et al. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:220-226.

Monday Feb 06, 2006
Archus Orthopedics Raises $35 Million in Series C Financing
Archus Orthopedics, Inc, of Redmond, Washington, announced that it has closed a $35 million round of Series C financing...

Friday Feb 03, 2006
Seal Oil May Lead to Subjective Improvements in Psoriatic Arthritis
Seal oil, rich in omega-3s, may improve psoriatic arthritis patients' global assessment of their disease, suggesting a trend toward a decrease in the number of tender joints, possibly due to seal oil's anti-inflammatory effects... Madland TM, et al. J Rheum. 2006;33:307-10.

Friday Jan 27, 2006
Phosphodiesterase Type 5 Inhibition Improves Raynaud's Disease
New research adds to evidence that because of their vasodilatory properties, phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors may be a useful therapeutic option for the treatment of Raynaud's disease... Caglayan E, et al. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:231-233.

Thursday Jan 26, 2006
Risk of New Fractures Found to Increase After Vertebroplasty
A nonsurgical therapy used to heal vertebral compression fractures, vertebroplasty may increase the risk of new fractures in adjacent vertebrae... Trout AT, et al. Am J Neuroradiol. 2006;27:217-223.

Friday Jan 13, 2006
Increases in the Synthesis and Degradation of CTX-II Biomarkers May Predict OA Progression
Biomarkers of type II collagen synthesis and degradation may predict rapid progression among patients with knee osteoarthritis... Garnero P, et al. Presented at: 10th World Congress of the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI); December  8-11, 2005; Boston, Mass. Abstract A6.

Thursday Jan 12, 2006
Three Months of Bosentan Therapy Improves Function in SSc-PAH Patients
Three Months of Bosentan Therapy Improves Function in SSc-PAH Patients

Wednesday Jan 11, 2006
Boniva® Injection Approved for Postmenopausal Osteoporosis
Roche and GlaxoSmithKline announced that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved Boniva® (ibandronate sodium) Injection...

Tuesday Jan 10, 2006
Active Shape Modeling May Help Predict Osteoarthritis Fast Progressors
A new pilot study shows that active shape modeling (ASM) can quantify the changes that occur in the femoral head during the course of osteoarthritis (OA), findings that suggest the diagnostic technique may help identify OA patients who are at high risk for rapid progression and require surgical intervention... Gregory JS, et al. Presented at: 10th World Congress of the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI); December 8-11, 2005: Boston, Massachusetts. Abstract P254.

Wednesday Jan 04, 2006
Osiris Raises $19 Million in Private Equity Funding for Adult Stem-Cell Trials
Osiris Therapeutics, Inc, of Baltimore, Maryland, announced that it has closed a $19 million private equity round of financing in support of ongoing clinical trial programs employing its adult mesenchymal stem-cell technology...

Tuesday Dec 13, 2005
Domantis Raises $29 Million in Series B Financing to Advance Its Human Domain Antibody (dAb) Therapeutics
Domantis Ltd has announced the acquisition of $29 million in series B financing from existing investors as well as new investors Novo Nordisk and MC Life Science Ventures...

Wednesday Nov 16, 2005
Amgen's Denosumab Effective in Increasing Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Patients
Amgen has announced that twice-yearly subcutaneous injections of 60 mg denosumab increased bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine by 7.4% and of the total hip by 5.1% compared with 6.2% and 3.4%, respectively, for alendronate (Fosamax®) 70 mg/week over a 24-month period.

Thursday Nov 10, 2005
Vitamin D Status More Important Than High Calcium Intake for Calcium Homeostatis
New research suggests that maintaining adequate serum vitamin D levels can ensure ideal parathyroid hormone (PTH) values without the need for calcium intake above 800 mg/day; findings that provide further evidence of the importance of vitamin D to optimal bone health…Steingrimsdottir L, et al. JAMA. 2005;294:2336-2341.

Tuesday Nov 01, 2005
CAT and Abbott Resolve Royalty Dispute Regarding Humira®
Cambridge Antibody Technology Group PLC (CAT), a British biotechnology company headquartered in Cambridge, England, and Illinois-based Abbott Laboratories have reached an agreement...

Monday Oct 24, 2005
Chugai and Roche to Present Phase III Efficacy Data for Tocilizumab in RA at ACR Annual Meeting
Chugai Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd, of Tokyo, Japan, and its strategic partner, F. Hoffmann-La Roche of Switzerland, will jointly present phase III clinical trial results on MRA (tocilizumab)...

Thursday Oct 20, 2005
Novel Hereditary Cartilage Debonding Syndrome Identified
Researchers have identified a new cartilage friability and osteochondral debonding syndrome that may provide insight into cartilage-bone interaction in other forms of joint degeneration ... Holderbaum D, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2005;52:3300-3304.

Tuesday Oct 18, 2005
MedImmune Completes Acquisition of Cellective and Its CD19-Directed Monoclonal Antibody; Files IND with Medarex for Lupus
MedImmune, Inc, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, announced that it has completed its acquisition of Cellective Therapeutics, Inc...

Thursday Oct 06, 2005
Regeneron Discontinues IL-1 Trap Program in Adult RA
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc (Tarrytown, NY), a biopharmaceutical company with therapeutic candidates in clinical trials for the potential treatment of cancer, age-related eye diseases, and inflammatory diseases, announced...

Wednesday Sep 28, 2005
Roche and GSK Tout Efficacy, Safety, and Convenience of Once-Monthly Boniva^R Osteoporosis Therapy at ASBMR Annual Meeting
Roche Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline presented 4 posters (2 studies) at the 27^th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research...

Tuesday Sep 27, 2005
Cellerant Therapeutics Closes Series B Financing with $25 Million
Cellerant Therapeutics, Inc, of San Carlos, California, a developer of treatments for autoimmune diseases, genetic blood disorders, and neutropenia, has announced...

Sunday Sep 25, 2005
Osteoporosis Fractures, Costs Projected to Rise by 50% in 20 Years
A new survey suggests that changing demographics will fuel a 50% increase in the incidence of osteoporotic fractures and associated healthcare costs over the next 20 years... Presented at: 27^th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research; September 23-25, 2005; Nashville, Tennessee.

Saturday Sep 24, 2005
Orthopaedic Surgeons, Neurologists Often Fail to Refer Patients for DEXA Exams
Even with the availability of training programs and educational literature, it is rare for many orthopaedic surgeons and neurologists, physicians who regularly see patients at high risk for fractures, to refer these patients for assessment of bone mineral density (BMD)... Presented at: 27^th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research; September 23-25, 2005; Nashville, Tennessee.

Friday Sep 09, 2005
FDA Arthritis Advisory Committee Gives Preliminary Go-ahead to Abatacept
A Food and Drug Administration Arthritis Advisory Committee unanimously recommended approval of Orencia®  (abatacept) Tuesday, stating that the benefits of the costimulation blocker for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) outweighed the risks of serious infections like pneumonia and some cancers.

Thursday Sep 01, 2005
RA May Be Becoming Milder With Time
New research suggests that rheumatoid arthritis may have become a milder disease in recent years, perhaps due to more aggressive treatment... Welsing PMJ, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2005;52:2616-2624.

Wednesday Aug 10, 2005
Abatacept Reduces Disease Activity and Improves Function in RA Patients Who Failed MTX
Results of a 12-month study show that the first in a class of agents designed to block a costimulatory pathway required for optimum activation of T cells may play an important role in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), particularly among patients unresponsive to methotrexate (MTX)... Kremer JM, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2005;52:2263-2271.

Monday Aug 08, 2005
Vitamin D Supplements May Not Help African American Women's Bones
Supplementation with vitamin D₃ has no effect on bone loss or bone turnover markers in calcium-replete, postmenopausal African American women ... Aloia JF, et al. Arch Intern Med. 2005;165:1618-1623

Friday Jul 08, 2005
Weight Loss Reduces Knee Joint Load
Losing just one pound results in a four-fold reduction in knee joint load in overweight and obese patients with OA of the knee... Messier SP, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2005;52:2026-2032.

Wednesday Jul 06, 2005
Radiological Grade, High Global Assessment, and Past NSAID Use Strongly Predictive of Hip OA Joint Replacement
Patients with OA of the hip who presented with a radiological grade of III or IV, a high mean global assessment during the first 6 months, and previous treatment with NSAIDs have a stronger likelihood of undergoing total hip replacement surgery... Ann Rheum Dis. 2005;64:1028-1032

Monday Jun 13, 2005
EULAR Report: Developments in the Treatment of Ankylosing Spondylitis Using TNF-&alpha; Inhibitors
Studies of low-dose regimens, the effects of discontinuation, and 52-week data from an initial study of adalimumab highlight the results presented at EULAR on the use of TNF-&alpha; inhibitors in the treatment of AS...Presented at Annual European Congress of Rheumatology of EULAR; June 8-11, 2005; Vienna, Austria.

Monday Jun 13, 2005
IL-6 Blocker Shows Promise in Systemic Onset Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
More evidence emerging on the therapeutic potential of the experimental IL-6 blocker tocilizumab in the management of severe SJIA... Presented at: Annual European Congress of Rheumatology of EULAR; June 8-11, 2005; Vienna, Austria.

Friday Jun 10, 2005
Treatment of RA Reduces Cardiovascular Mortality
Analysis of a large RA database reveals that treatment with MTX or anti-TNF-&alpha; drugs causes a significant decrease in mortality, specifically in death due to cardiovascular and pulmonary disease... Presented at: Annual European Congress of Rheumatology of EULAR; June 8-11, 2005; Vienna, Austria.

Thursday Jun 09, 2005
Dr. Gary Williams Weighs in on the Coxib Controversy
Gary Williams MD, PhD, chairman of the department of medicine at Scripps Clinic Medical Group, and co-chair of the symposium Clarifying the Risk/Benefit of COX-2 Selective Inhibitor Use at the 6th EULAR Annual European Congress of Rheumatology, spoke with CIAOMed on Wednesday regarding the current controversy over the fate of the COX-2 inhibitors

Thursday Jun 09, 2005
Study Helps Clarify Link Between RA and CVD
Il-6, rheumatoid factor, and chronic kidney disease predict endothelial dysfunction among RA patients and need to be suppressed to stave off atherosclerosis...Presented at: Annual European Congress of Rheumatology of EULAR; June 8-11, 2005; Vienna, Austria.

Thursday Jun 09, 2005
Abatacept Inhibits Structural Damage in RA Patients with Inadequate Response to Methotrexate
New studies help define and clarify potential niche for costimulation blockade in autoimmunity...Presented at: Annual European Congress of Rheumatology of EULAR; June 8-11, 2005; Vienna, Austria.

Tuesday Jun 07, 2005
Radiographic Assessment Effective in Predicting Progression of Hip Osteoarthritis
A Kellgren and Lawrence score of 2 or higher at baseline is a strong predictor for progression of hip OA, particularly in patients with hip pain...Reijman M, et al. <i>BMJ</i>. 2005;330:1183-1188.

Thursday May 26, 2005
African-American and Hispanic Osteoarthritis Patients Less Likely Than Caucasians to Undergo Knee Replacement Surgery
These minority populations are significantly less likely to consider knee arthroplasty compared with their Caucasian counterparts regardless of health status, a finding that researchers attribute to differences in the perception of benefit, trust in the physician, and personal experience with the procedure...Suarez-Almazor ME, et al. Arch Intern Med. 2005;165:1117-1124.

Tuesday May 24, 2005
Rehabilitation Is as Beneficial and More Cost-Effective Than Spinal Fusion in Chronic Low Back Pain Patients
Contrary to previous reports and often physicians' advice, rehabilitation utilizing cognitive behavior principles is as effective as fusion for chronic low back pain, and should be offered as a first-line therapy...Fairbank J, et al. BMJ. May 23, 2005; [Epub ahead of print].

Tuesday May 03, 2005
African-American Women Have Lower Risk of Fractures than Caucasians Across All Levels of Bone Mineral Density
New data suggests the need for race specific normative databases to define osteoporosis...Cauley JA, et al. JAMA 2005;293:2102-2108.

Thursday Apr 21, 2005
New Evidence Suggests That TNF Inhibitors Do Not Confer Risk of Lymphoma or Solid Tumors in RA Patients
Two studies examining large Swedish cohorts attempt to clarify the relationship between rheumatoid arthritis, tumor necrosis factor-alpha blockade, and the risk of malignancy...Askling J, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. April, 20 2005; [Epub ahead of print]

Wednesday Apr 06, 2005
Study Links TNF Inhibitors to Dermatologic Problems in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients
Although a causative relationship has yet to be established, the new data put physicians on alert for a "less than major complication" Flendrie M, et al. Arthritis Res Ther. 2005;7:666-676.

Friday Apr 01, 2005
Injectable Capsaicin Formulation Safe and Effective in Knee Osteoarthritis Patients
In the search for alternatives to coxibs, traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and opioid analgesics, preliminary data suggest that injectable capsaicin is safe and well tolerated in patients with osteoarthritic knee pain, without the side effects of systemic treatments...Presented at: 24th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society; March 30-April 2, 2005; Boston, Mass.

Thursday Mar 24, 2005
Residencies in Orthopaedic Surgery and Other Specialties Remain Competitive in 2005 Match
The National Resident Matching Program reported a record year for the number of first-year residency positions and the number of positions filled.

Tuesday Mar 22, 2005
IL-6 Blocker "Promising" in Systemic Onset Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Small study demonstrating efficacy and safety of MRA in juvenile arthritis, combined with promising results in treatment of other conditions, suggests that IL-6 inhibitors may play an important role in controlling inflammatory disease...Yokota S, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2005;52:818-825.

Thursday Mar 03, 2005
Internet Can Be a Less Than Reliable Source of Information on Minimally Invasive Hip Replacement Surgery
Online direct-to-consumer marketing and surgeon self-promotion can create false expectations for patients researching hip arthroplasty...The 72nd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; February 23-27, 2005; Washington, DC.

Thursday Mar 03, 2005
Internet Can Be a Less Than Reliable Source of Information on Minimally Invasive Hip Replacement Surgery
Online direct-to-consumer marketing and surgeon self-promotion can create false expectations for patients researching hip arthroplasty...The 72nd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; February 23-27, 2005; Washington, DC.

Wednesday Mar 02, 2005
B-vitamins Help Prevent Hip Fracture In Stroke Patients
Folate and vitamin B12 lower the risk of hip fracture in elderly patients following stroke, possibly due to a reduction in plasma homocysteine levels...Sato Y, et al. JAMA. 2005;293:1082-1088

Monday Feb 28, 2005
New Minimally Invasive Knee Arthroplasty Techniques Present Promise, Challenges
Direct-to-consumer marketing has spurred patient demand for minimally invasive joint replacements, but widespread application of these procedures is limited by a lack of experienced surgeons and of data supporting their use... The 72nd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; February 23-27, 2005; Washington, DC.

Friday Feb 25, 2005
Outpatient Arthroplasty May Become the Standard of Care
With minimally invasive surgical techniques, an increasing number of total joint replacement procedures can be performed on an outpatient basis...72nd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; February 23, 2005

Friday Feb 25, 2005
Obese and Overweight Patients Tend to Gain Weight After Lower Extremity Arthroplasty
A new study counters the assumption that obese and overweight patients with hip or knee arthritis will lose weight after arthroplasty...72nd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, February 23-27, 2005.

Friday Feb 25, 2005
New Findings Show Improved Outcomes With Arthroscopic Shoulder Stabilization
A new military study shows that arthroscopic shoulder stabilization performed through puncture wounds yields similar results with fewer complications and less operative time than traditional open surgery ... 72nd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; February 23, 2005.

Thursday Feb 10, 2005
Anti-TNF Therapy Does Not Increase Overall Cancer Risk in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis, but Is Linked to Higher Number of Lymphomas
Swedish researchers note that the types of lymphomas, including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease, were in line with those recently reported in RA patients...Geborek P, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2005

Monday Nov 15, 2004
EPIC Study: Alendronate's Benefits for Osteoporosis Prevention Continue Up to 6 Years
Therapy with the bisphosphonate is effective long-term in preserving bone mineral density in postmenopausal women, and should serve as a promising strategy for the prevention of osteoporosis in the post-HRT era& McClung MR, et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004;89:4879-4885.

Thursday Oct 21, 2004
Treating Early and in Combination May Lessen Damage in Rheumatoid Arthritis
An emerging body of clinical evidence supports the concept that combination therapy with an antitumor necrosis factor-α agent and methotrexate brings symptomatic relief and reduces radiographic progression... Breedveld FC, et al. Presented at: Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology; October 20, 2004; San Antonio, Tex.

Wednesday Oct 20, 2004
New Phase III Trial With Abatacept Gives Hope to Methotrexate Nonresponders

A phase III clinical trial reported that nearly half of rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving monthly injections of the T-cell inactivator abatacept achieved at least a 50% reduction in symptoms... Kremer J, et al. Presented at: Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology; October 19, 2004; San Antonio, Texas.

Tuesday Oct 19, 2004
Glucosamine Supplements Show Demonstrable Benefit for Osteoarthritis Symptoms

A newly released report from the World Health Organization documents the disease-modifying clinical endpoints that support the efficacy of this well-known over-the-counter medication... Bruyere O et al. Poster presented at: Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology; October 19, 2004; San Antonio, Tex.

Monday Oct 18, 2004
Identical Twins Have 5 Times the Risk of Joint Replacement Surgery If Their Twin Has the Procedure

Swedish researchers discover a genetic link for osteoarthritis risk, especially among identical twins, adding to previous findings that did not distinguish between heredity and shared family environment... Lohmander S, Johnell O, Pedersen NL. Poster presented at: Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology; October 18, 2004; San Antonio, Texas . . Abstract 228.

Tuesday Oct 12, 2004
Combination Step-Down Regimen Enhances Disease Control Over Sulfasalazine Monotherapy for RA, Without Adding Cost

A combination regimen consisting of prednisolone, methotrexate, and sulfasalazine may produce more robust clinical responses at equal or lower cost than sulfasalazine alone for the treatment of early rheumatoid arthritis... Korthals-de Bos I et al. J Rheumatol. 2004;31:1709–1716.

Thursday Sep 30, 2004
Pulsed IV Methylprednisolone Produces Significant Bone Loss, Short-Term Study Shows

Conventional wisdom holds that pulsed IV corticosteroids reduce the risk of bone loss. New findings show that even this treatment schedule is associated with significant reductions in bone mineral density...Haugeberg G et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2004;63:940-944.

Tuesday Sep 21, 2004
Potential Osteoarthritis Biomarker Found
Elevated levels of CTX-II, type II collagen-derived fragments, may be an indicator of the presence and progression of OA.

Monday Aug 30, 2004
Studies Point to Genetic Susceptibility for Knee Osteoarthritis
(Neame RL, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2004;63:1022-1027; Valdes AM, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2004;50:2497-2507.)