News

Approved therapy Taltz effectively eases symptoms: Meta-analysis

The approved therapy Taltz (ixekizumab) can effectively ease symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis and related forms of arthritis that affect the spine, a new analysis shows. The study, “The Efficacy and Safety of Subcutaneous Ixekizumab for the Treatment of Axial Spondylarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,”…

People with arthritis are less likely to be employed: UK analysis

Adults with ankylosing spondylitis and other forms of arthritis are significantly less likely to be employed than people without arthritis, according to a new analysis from the U.K. Results suggest the effect of arthritis on employment is especially pronounced in certain demographic groups, particularly women and people without college…

Older AS patients may be at greater risk for some blood cancers

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients 65 and older may be at an increased risk of certain blood cancers compared with older adults in the general population, according to a recent study. The risk for these cancers, however, was similar among AS patients and people with another inflammatory condition called inflammatory…

New Inflammation Biomarker May Be Useful in AS, Study Suggests

The ratio of two blood proteins, fibrinogen and albumin, accurately measures inflammation severity with different types of spondyloarthritis (SpA), including ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a study showed. The accuracy of this biomarker closely matched those of standard inflammatory markers used in research and clinical practice. Further studies are needed to…

Bimekizumab Leads to Rapid Clinical Improvements in Phase 3 Trials

A year of treatment with bimekizumab was safe and significantly eased symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in participants of two Phase 3 clinical trials, regardless of whether they had been treated previously with inhibitors of the pro-inflammatory molecule TNF. “Treatment with bimekizumab resulted in rapid and clinically relevant…

Canada OKs High-concentration Hadlima Biosimilar Formulation

Health Canada has approved a high-concentration formulation of Hadlima (adalimumab-bwwd), a biosimilar to Humira (adalimumab), for treating ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and other diseases. A biosimilar is a medical product designed to be identical — with similar properties, as well as comparable safety and effectiveness — to an…