Author Archives: Marisa Wexler MS

People with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriasis — a skin disease causing red, scaly, itchy patches that often occur on the elbows, knees, trunk, and scalp — are more likely than those with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) to have back pain, but less likely to have nail lesions, according to…

Side effects to anti-TNF therapies are as common and similar among people with ankylosing spondylitis as they are among other rheumatic diseases, a new study indicates. The study, “Disease-specific ADRs of TNF-[alpha] inhibitors as reported by patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases: a registry-based prospective multicenter cohort study,” was…

In the U.S., people with ankylosing spondylitis who report more difficulties in their day-to-day life also tend to have higher healthcare costs, according to a new analysis. “The results presented provide further evidence of the economic burden and increased resource use experienced by patients with more severe physical disability…

Medications that block the activity of the pro-inflammatory molecule interleukin-17A (IL-17A) can ease symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), but further research is needed to evaluate their safety, according to an analysis. These findings were in the study “Efficacy and safety of interleukin-17A inhibitors in patients with ankylosing…

AbbVie‘s Rinvoq (upadacitinib) has been approved in the European Union to treat active ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in adults who have responded inadequately to conventional therapy. The European Commission also approved Rinvoq to treat active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in adults who have not responded to, or are…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a generic version of Pfizer‘s Celebrex (celecoxib), an oral medication used to treat inflammation and pain caused by ankylosing spondylitis and other disorders. The new generic is made by the India-based company Unichem Laboratories, which announced the approval…

Among people with non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) — a type of arthritis that mainly affects the joints of the spine — women tend to have more severe disease than men do, as well as a poorer response to treatment, a Swiss study indicates. This finding may have implications…

Treatment with Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) can ease eye inflammation in people with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and reduce symptoms in those with active non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA), new clinical trial data show. The data were presented by researchers from UCB — which markets Cimzia — and other institutions at…

Treatment with Xeljanz (tofacitinib) was found to significantly ease symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in a Phase 3 clinical trial. The results are being presented today at ACR Convergence 2020, in a session titled “Tofacitinib for the Treatment of Adult Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis: Primary Analysis…

The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)’s RareLaunch training program will host two days of free virtual workshops in December, with the aim of empowering leaders to start non-profit organizations and research programs to help people with rare diseases. “The RareLaunch program is central to NORD’s mission and history — community…