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New Onset Psoriatic Arthritis Reported in Psoriasis Patients Treated with Efalizumab

New Onset Psoriatic Arthritis Reported in Psoriasis Patients Treated with Efalizumab

The T-cell inhibitor efalizumab (Raptiva) has demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. However, it has not demonstrated efficacy for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis and, in one study, was associated with worsening of arthritis symptoms. Only a minority of individuals with psoriasis have a concomitant inflammatory arthritis, making therapy with efalizumab an option for the treatment of a large number of psoriasis patients who have no articular involvement.

Do TNF Inhibitors Increase the Risk of Heart Failure in Rheumatoid Arthritis?

The observation that TNF-α is elevated in individuals with advanced heart failure (HF) prompted several high-profile clinical trials investigating whether TNF inhibitors could be used to treat HF. The failure of these trials and reports of RA patients treated with TNF inhibitors developing new-onset or worsening HF has raised questions as to whether TNF inhibition is beneficial or detrimental to the myocardium.

Is Glucosamine Sulfate an Effective Treatment for Osteoarthritis of the Hip?

Is Glucosamine Sulfate an Effective Treatment for Osteoarthritis of the Hip?

Large scale, independent studies of glucosamine and/or chondroitin have not shown a definitive benefit for the treatment of painful knee osteoarthritis (OA) and the effect of retarding knee OA progression remains controversial. Despite this, the use of glucosamine as a complementary/alternative medicine is widespread, amounting to a multi-million dollar industry. Many users take glucosamine for OA at sites other than the knee, sites which have received little to no study of efficacy.