Magdalena Kegel,  —

Pain in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) may stem from factors other than spinal inflammation, researchers said after discovering that the main subjective factors of disease activity were associated with the use of opioid medication. Researchers found that particularly chronic opioid use did not relate to any objectively measurable…

Many ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients who start treatment with a TNF-blocker switch treatments, use additional medications, or stop the treatment completely within a year, a recent study shows. These real-world findings suggest there is room for improvement in the treatment of AS. But for better treatment strategies to emerge,…

CreakyJoints has released a guide for people living with ankylosing spondylitis, the first to be developed by patients and reviewed by rheumatologists. “A Patient’s Guide to Living with Ankylosing Spondylitis,” is available for download free of charge (by following the link) for patients and their caregivers.

Obese patients with axial spondyloarthritis are less likely to respond to treatment with TNF blockers than patients at a healthy weight, according to a study suggesting that weight loss could improve treatment outcomes. Heavier patients who received Remicade (infliximab) — whose doses are based on weight — did not have…

Health Canada has approved Sandoz’s Erelzi, a biosimilar therapy of etanercept, for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis and two other conditions targeted by Amgen’s original therapy Enbrel. Canadian health authorities said that Erelzi has shown to be equally effective in treating ankylosing spondylitis,…