Author Archives: Patricia Inacio PhD

Obesity is a risk factor for worse overall health in people with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and is associated with increased inflammation, disease activity, and cardiovascular risk, a Taiwanese study has found. Therefore, preventing obesity in these patients is important to help improve their disease outcomes, researchers said. The…

Cosentyx (secukinumab) has been approved in the U.S. to treat people with active non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA), its developer, Novartis, has announced. The approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) follows a similar decision by the European Commission in April. In both the…

After its approval last year, Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) may now be the most prescribed therapy in the U.S. for people with non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA), according to an online survey of 98 rheumatologists. Cimzia is the only therapy currently approved in the U.S. for the treatment of…

The number of treatments for children with rare diseases has grown over the past decade, according to a new study. However, despite the increase, nearly 7,000 rare diseases are still lacking treatment. And federal incentives to boost treatment development for these rare diseases have primarily focused not on creating new…

A new genetic variant in the RELN gene was identified in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients in the same family, an Iranian study reports. The study, “Identification of RELN varient p.(Ser2486Gly) in an Iranian family with ankylosing spondylitis: the first association of RELN and AS,” was published in the…

Analyzing the levels of a protein called DNASE1L3 may enable an accurate diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a study suggests. Besides being able to distinguish between AS and generalized osteoarthritis, this potential biomarker may also differentiate between active and inactive AS disease. The study, “Serum Deoxyribonuclease…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Avsola (infliximab-axxq), a biosimilar to Remicade (infliximab), to treat active ankylosing spondylitis, its maker, Amgen, announced. The new therapy has been approved across all diseases that Remicade can treat, which in addition to active ankylosing spondylitis are moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis,…

Treatment with the anti-rheumatic drug Taltz (ixekizumab) leads to early and sustained reductions in pain, fatigue, and inflammation in people with non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA), a Phase 3 trial shows. It also significantly improves quality of life for these patients, data show. The…

Treatment with Cosentyx (secukinumab) provided stable reduction in disease activity, as well as less pain and better mobility in people with non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA), a Phase 3 trial shows. Atul Deodhar, MD, the study’s lead investigator, presented the research in a session, “Secukinumab 150 mg Significantly…

Continuous use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) increases the risk of hypertension by 12% in people with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a prospective study suggests. The study, “Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug use is Associated with Incident Hypertension in Ankylosing Spondylitis,” was published in the journal Arthritis Care &…