Author Archives: Lindsey Shapiro

TNF inhibitors aid AS bone density, but fractures remain a risk

Bone density increased significantly with long-term TNF inhibitor (TNFi) treatment for people with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), most of whom had ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a study suggests. Despite the improvement, which could mean bones are becoming stronger, some patients continued to have new or worsening fractures in the spine, which…

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…

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…

IBD patients facing greater disease risk for forms of AS: Study

People with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at significantly higher risk for various forms of spondyloarthritis (SpA), including ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a study found. But the reverse wasn’t true: Having SpA was not linked to an increased risk of developing IBD, according to the new analysis, which used genetic…

Genetics not found to influence Cosentyx treatment responses

The responses to Cosentyx (secukinumab) among people with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and other inflammatory diseases aren’t significantly impacted by a person’s genetic background, a recent study suggests. The findings challenge an existing hypothesis that the variable responses to the therapy in clinical practice could largely be driven by…

Contents of cell cargo carriers may offer insights into AS biomarkers

Exosomes, which are tiny carriers for cellular cargo, are found to have significantly different contents in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients compared with healthy people, which in turn has marked influences on immune cell function, according to a recent study. Researchers specifically identified that the profile of molecules called microRNAs…

Fatty lesions don’t explain new bone formation in AS: Study

The effects of inflammation on the later development of new bone outgrowths in certain parts of the spine in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients are largely not explained by the intermediate formation of fatty deposits, according to a new study. The findings, which take into account data from two clinical…