News

Alvotech, collaborators prep for Humira biosimilar launch in US

Alvotech’s high-dose biosimilar of Humira (adalimumab) — a medication approved for ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and other inflammatory diseases — which was cleared by federal regulators earlier this year, will soon be launched in the U.S. under the brand name Simlandi. A biosimilar is a medication containing the…

New findings add to understanding of mechanisms of disease in AS

Reductions in an epigenetic marker — a type of chemical modification to DNA — called H3K27me3 were seen in people with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in a new study, according to researchers, who say these findings shed light on the mechanisms of the chronic inflammatory disease. The scientists believe…

Risk of progressing to AS within 10 years is low, study finds

While some people with recent-onset axial spondyloarthritis whose joint damage isn’t visible on an X-ray will progress within 10 years to ankylosing spondylitis (AS), where joint damage becomes evident on an X-ray, the risk is relatively low, a French study found. The risk was about halved in patients on TNF inhibitors, but more…

2-week physical therapy program shows benefits for axSpA patients

A two-week tailored physical therapy program — comprising physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy — led to significant improvements in spinal mobility and function among people with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), a new study shows. Improvements were assessed using an electronic device, called Epionics SPINE (ES), which objectively evaluates spinal…

Blood levels of cytokines, immune signaling molecules, differ with AS

Certain immune signaling molecules belonging to a family of proteins called cytokines were at altered levels in the blood of men with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) under treatment compared with men in the general population, a study found. Three cytokines with known pro-inflammatory functions — IL-17A, CXCL10, and CXCL16 —…

Gut microbiome may influence sulfasalazine reaction in IBD-SpA

The gut microbiome, the collection of microbes that populate the intestinal tract, could influence the way people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and associated peripheral spondyloarthritis (SpA) respond to sulfasalazine — a medication commonly used to treat IBD that’s also been shown to be effective for SpA. That’s according to…