Alice Melao,  —

Use of TNF-alpha inhibitors reduces inflammation and increases levels of eosinophils — a type of immune cell that protects the body from infections — in patients with ankylosing spondylitis, a study shows. The study, “The relationship between blood eosinophil count and disease activity in ankylosing spondylitis…

Pfizer is recruiting adult patients with active ankylosing spondylitis for a new Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and therapeutic activity of Xeljanz (tofacitinib). The study (NCT03502616) is expected to enroll about 240 participants who have not responded or been intolerant to standard treatment with a…

TNF-α inhibitors have the potential to prevent heart disease among patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) by improving blood flow in small blood vessels, researchers suggest. Their study, “Microvascular dysfunction in ankylosing spondylitis is associated with disease activity and is improved by anti-TNF treatment,” was published in the…

Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in addition to tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors provides stronger long-term protective effects in patients with ankylosing spondylitis, according to recent clinical trial results. The combo therapy prevented radiographic progression of the disease significantly during a four-year period compared to NSAIDs or…

Latest clinical data on Cosentyx (secukinumab) demonstrates its long-term potential to prevent radiographic progression and improve the quality of life of patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Several relevant studies were presented recently at 2018 Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR), held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Cosentyx is a specific…

The investigative therapy bimekizumab showed significant potential in reducing disease activity and it provided clinically meaningful improvements in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients, according to Phase 2b clinical trial data. UCB Pharma recently presented the trial’s findings in a study, “Dual Neutralisation of IL-17a and IL-17F with Bimekizumab in…

Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) appears to effectively reduce disease activity and manage disease symptoms in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) without X-ray evidence of ankylosing spondylitis, according to Phase 3 trial results. The trial also highlights the limitations of current standard-of-care therapies to deliver adequate disease control.

During pregnancy, women with axial spondyloarthritis experience stable, low disease activity that tends to peak during the second trimester, according to a recent study in Norway. The study, “Disease activity during and after pregnancy in women with axial spondyloarthritis: a prospective multicentre study,” was published in the journal Rheumatology.

Determining the levels of two types of fat in the blood — called the atherogenic index of plasma — in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) can help identify those at risk of developing life-threatening atherosclerotic heart disease, according to researchers. Their study, “Atherogenic index of plasma:…

Assessing the levels of a protein involved in bone formation and its specific antibodies in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may help identify those at risk of having axial joint involvement, Italian researchers found. IBD patients commonly experience extra-intestinal symptoms, including spondyloarthritis (SpA) — inflammation of the joints…