News

Axial spondyloarthritis patients who do not respond initially to treatment with TNF-alpha inhibitors (TNFi) share some commonalities, researchers discovered in a study aimed at evaluating factors associated with TNFi failure. In particular, researchers found these patients tend to be older, lack a protein marker associated with the disease, have…

Use of biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) does not prevent spinal fractures in patients with ankylosing spondylitis, according to a Swedish population-based study. Findings from the study, “Do biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs reduce the spinal fracture risk related to ankylosing spondylitis? A longitudinal multiregistry matched cohort study,”…

David Curtis Glebe, a retired 64-year-old public prosecutor now living in Millsboro, Delaware, knows he’s lucky to be alive. In mid-2013, while in Arizona, Glebe was diagnosed with pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer (PNET) — the same disease that killed Apple’s founder and CEO Steve Jobs. After three years of progress…

Two single variants in immune system-related genes may help predict ankylosing spondylitis with active disease response to therapy. The study “The Diagnostic and Prognostic Role of Interleukin 12B and Interleukin 6R Gene Polymorphism in Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis” was published in the Journal of Clinical Rheumatology. Two pathways…

Antibe Therapeutics has fully enrolled a trial comparing the gastrointestinal safety of investigative compound ATB-346 with naproxen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). The Phase 2b trial is running as scheduled, and the company plans to release top-line data within six weeks. Naproxen, sold under the brand names Aleve, Naprosyn, and others, is one of the…

This week marks the launch of the “7,000 Mile Rare Movement,” a nationwide effort to raise money for research into the 7,000 known rare diseases that afflict at least 30 million Americans. The campaign kicks off Feb. 1 and culminates with Rare Disease Day on Feb. 28. Organized by…

The best site to determine bone loss in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients is the femoral neck, according to Swedish researchers. The study, “Which measuring site in ankylosing spondylitis is best to detect bone loss and what predicts the decline: results from a 5-year prospective study,” was…

Early disease onset and long disease duration may increase the risk of additional diseases in patients with ankylosing spondylitis, according to the results of a Swedish study. The study, “Patterns of comorbidity and disease characteristics among patients with ankylosing spondylitis—a cross-sectional study,” was published in the journal…

Blood levels of a specific form of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies may help diagnose ankylosing spondylitis (AS) with high specificity, a small study reports. The study, “Serum IgG N-glycans act as novel serum biomarkers of ankylosing spondylitis“ was published in the journal Annals of Rheumatic Diseases.  AS is…

Intravenous infusion of Simponi Aria (golimumab) significantly improves ankylosing spondylitis (AS) symptoms in adults, an ongoing Phase 3 trial shows. The results through week 28 of the GO-ALIVE trial were published in the Journal of Rheumatology in an article titled “Safety and Efficacy of Golimumab Administered…