Lucy Hicks

Boston

Reporter at Medscape

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Articles

New FMF Recommendations Tackle Drug Resistance and Fertility

6 days ago | medscape.com | Lucy Hicks

A multidisciplinary team has released new evidence-based recommendations for the management of familial Mediterranean fever (FMF). Jointly endorsed by the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) and the Pediatric Rheumatology European Society, the recommendations are the first update to the 2016 EULAR guidelines. Although rare, FMF is the most common monogenic autoinflammatory disease and is most prevalent in people of Mediterranean or Middle Eastern descent.
Biologics Outperform Conventional Therapy in Still’s Disease

2 weeks ago | medscape.com | Lucy Hicks

Biologics are more effective at treating adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) than glucocorticoids or conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), according to a new retrospective study. Half of the patients treated with first-line biologic DMARDs achieved sustained, event-free remission compared with 12% of patients in the conventional therapy group.
FDA Approves First and Only Therapy for IgG4-RD

2 weeks ago | medscape.com | Lucy Hicks

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the B-cell depleting agent inebilizumab-cdon (Uplizna, Amgen) for the treatment of immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD). This is the first and only treatment approved for this rare autoimmune disease in the United States. An estimated 200,000 people in the United States are living with IgG4-RD, according to a press release from Amgen.
PBM Private Labeling Boosts Biosimilars, Raises Concerns

3 weeks ago | medscape.com | Lucy Hicks

Nearly 2 years after entering the market, adalimumab biosimilars are finally seeing traction. CVS Health’s Caremark, Cigna’s Express Scripts, and UnitedHealth Group’s OptumRx, which are pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) that collectively control about 80% of all prescriptions in the United States, are now pivoting away from Humira and preferring biosimilars on their formularies.
FDA Approves Fourth Denosumab Biosimilar

3 weeks ago | medscape.com | Lucy Hicks

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved denosumab-bnht (Conexxence/Bomyntra), manufactured by Fresenius Kabi, for all indications of the reference product denosumab (Prolia/Xgeva). The biosimilar will launch in the United States in June 2025 as part of a global settlement with Amgen, which manufactures the reference product.
Addressing Ageism in Rheumatology

1 month ago | medscape.com | Lucy Hicks

Ageism in healthcare not only is frustrating and demoralizing for older patients but also negatively affects care. In rheumatology, patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnosed later in life are less likely to be prescribed disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). With adults aged 65 years or older representing of the US population, understanding how to best care for these patients is key.
Obinutuzumab a Success in Phase 3 Trial for Lupus Nephritis

2 months ago | medscape.com | Lucy Hicks

Adding the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody obinutuzumab (Gazyva) to standard therapy for lupus nephritis is more efficacious than standard therapy alone, according to a new phase 3, placebo-controlled study. In the trial, 46.4% of patients in the obinutuzumab group had a complete renal response at 76 weeks compared with 33.1% of those in the standard therapy group.
Could Bone Marrow Help Prevent Post-ACL Revision Arthritis?

2 months ago | medscape.com | Lucy Hicks

Researchers estimate that about 20% of patients who undergo anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction will develop posttraumatic osteoarthritis (OA) within 10 years after surgery. That percentage jumps to 50% at 20 years. The ongoing FastOA initiative, launched by the Arthritis Foundation, aims to accelerate the development of therapies for OA by focusing on these high-risk individuals.
A ‘Nagging Gap’: Screening Men for Osteoporosis

Jan 24, 2025 | medscape.com | Lucy Hicks

Earlier this month, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released updated screening recommendations for osteoporosis. The task force reaffirmed their 2018 recommendations that all women aged 65 years or older and postmenopausal women younger than 65 years at increased risk for osteoporotic fracture should be screened. Notably, there were no recommendations around screening men.
Baricitinib Shows Promise in Polymyalgia Rheumatica

Jan 22, 2025 | medscape.com | Lucy Hicks

Baricitinib can effectively treat polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) without the use of oral glucocorticoids, according to results from a small, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Among the 18 patients randomly assigned to the oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor baricitinib, 14 achieved a C-reactive protein PMR activity score (CRP PMR-AS) of 10 or less after 12 weeks of treatment. Two out of 15 participants in the placebo group reached the same benchmark.