News

Approximately 10 to 23 percent of people with ankylosing spondylitis have hip joint involvement that can be managed with tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-alpha) blocking therapy, a study shows. The study, “High prevalence of hip involvement and decrease in inflammatory ultrasound lesions…

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients younger than 40 and those treated with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) are at a higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation, a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate, a population study shows. These results support the need for…

Treatment with Simponi (golimumab) reduced the incidence of a type of eye inflammation called acute anterior uveitis (AAU) and decreased disease activity in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), according to a Phase 4 clinical study in a real-world setting. The research, “Reduced Occurrence…

TrialSpark, a technology company that works to increase access and integrate trial participation into patients’ everyday lives, has teamed up with Novartis, a global healthcare company, to activate their first clinical trial sites. This patient-centered model for clinical trials will enable patients to enroll in studies from their doctor’s office, rather…

Cash-strapped governments across the 28-member European Union are struggling to control runaway healthcare expenditures — at exactly the same time as the promise of new but expensive therapies to treat rare diseases has never been greater. That’s the paradox faced by pharmaceutical companies as well as patient advocacy groups in…

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…

The presence of a specific genetic marker called HLA-B27 in Caucasian ankylosing spondylitis patients is related to earlier disease onset and higher disease prevalence among family members, a study has found. However, according to the research, being HLAB27-positive is not related to a higher burden of disease or uveitis (inflammation of the eye).

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…

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients who have failed to respond to standard therapy may benefit from treatment with ixekizumab (Taltz by Eli Lilly), Phase 3 study results show. The study, “Efficacy and Safety of Ixekizumab in the Treatment of Radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis: 16 Week Results of a…

With the U.S. midterm elections now less than two weeks away, patient advocacy groups are solidly focused on a range of hot-button issues, from the Orphan Drug Tax Creditand affordable health insurance to future funding for rare disease research. Yet “whether Democrats take over the House or Senate, or…