Enbrel

Did you know that there are over a hundred different kinds of arthritis? You also may find it surprising to learn that it’s not only adults who may need to deal with this ailment; children also suffer from it. Though unusual, children can develop a form of the ailment called juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Juvenile and adult rheumatoid arthritis share many symptoms. However you should know that there are specific differences as well. Read Full Story

Belgian drugmaker UCB said Wednesday it received federal approval for an injectable drug to treat arthritis, entering a competitive market dominated by some of the largest U.S. pharmaceutical companies. The Food and Drug Administration approved the drug Cimzia for patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. The injectable medication was previously approved to treat gastrointestinal Crohn's disease last April. Cimzia is the fourth in a class of drugs known as tumor necrosis factor blockers approved in the U.S. The three other products are each multibillion-dollar blockbusters: Abbott Laboratories' Humira, Johnson & Johnson's Remicade and Wyeth and Amgen's Enbrel. Enbrel was the biggest seller of ... Read Full Story

Lipitor, the cholesterol-lowering treatment, remains the best-selling drug in America. But Pfizer , the drug’s maker, is facing renewed competition from biotechs like Amgen that were hardly on the map a decade ago– and renewed threats from cheap generic drugs.That’s the picture from newly released data from IMS Health , a pharmaceutical information and consulting company that independently keeps track of how often medicines are prescribed and how much revenue they are generating. IMS has provided to Forbes a list of the top 20 medicines by U.S. sales. lipitor #1 LIPITOR Treats: High cholesterol Pfizer $8.4 billion +8% zocor #2 ZOCOR Treats: High cholesterol ... Read Full Story

Rheumatoid Arthritis Drugs Raise Shingles Risk Older people and those also taking steroids are most vulnerable, study finds By Amanda Gardner HealthDay Reporter http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=624196 Read Full Story

Etanercept, Methotrexate Safe for Juvenile RA Review finds use, even in combo, an effective long-term treatment MONDAY, Oct. 27 (HealthDay News) -- The drugs etanercept and methotrexate are safe and effective for long-term, continuous treatment of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, new research finds. In a three-year study that enrolled about 600 patients, aged 2 to 18, some of the children took methotrexate alone, others took etanercept alone, and another group took both drugs. Etanercept was given as either a 0.4 mg/kg injection twice weekly or 0.8 mg/kg weekly, and methotrexate was given as dose greater than or equal to 10mg/m2 once a week. The researchers ... Read Full Story

FDA Demands Tougher Warnings on Immunosuppressive Drugs Officials want stronger labeling about fungal infection risk By Amanda Gardner HealthDay Reporter THURSDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Federal health authorities have asked the manufacturers of four widely used immunosuppressive drugs to bolster safety warnings on the risk of developing opportunistic fungal infections. The drugs, Humira, Cimzia, Enbrel and Remicade, belong to a class of medications known as tumor necrosis factor alpha blockers (TNF-alpha blockers), which suppress the immune system and are approved to treat several conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, plaque psoriasis, ankylosing spondylitis and Crohn's disease. All four drugs already ... Read Full Story

Psoriatic arthritis is a special type of arthritis that occurs in some patients with psoriasis, a chronic skin condition. It resembles rheumatoid arthritis in its effects, although most people experience a mild form. Symptoms of psoriatic arthritis include both skin disorders and conditions of the joints and can cause symptoms of psoriatic arthritis as well. There is no cure for psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, but there are many treatments available to relieve symptoms. It is a chronic, however, and if left untreated can cause serious health problems. Read Full Story