Magnetic And Copper Bracelets Ineffective Against Pain Of Arthritis, Controlled Study
After carrying out the first randomized placebo-controlled study on the use of magnetic and copper bracelets and wrist straps for relieving the pain of arthritis, researchers in the UK concluded that they were ineffective. The study was led by Stewart Richmond, a Research Fellow in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York, and was published online on 12 October in the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine. Richmond's team included colleagues from the universities of Hull, Durham, and the NHS. Magnetic and copper bracelets are used all over the world by people with various chronic musculoskeletal disorders to help reduce pain. The industry is growing worldwide and annual sales for devices that incorporate some kind of magnet for therapeutic purposes now total around 4 billion US dollars.
Phase III Study Showed Two Years Of ACTEMRA R tocilizumab Inhibited Progression Of Joint Damage And Improved Disease Remission
Genentech, Inc., a wholly-owned member of the Roche Group (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY), announced two-year results from a Phase III study, which showed that people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who received either a 4 mg/kg or 8 mg/kg dose of ACTEMRA® (tocilizumab), in combination with methotrexate, had no progression of joint damage, (75 and 83 percent, respectively, as assessed by radiograph) compared with people who received methotrexate alone (66 percent). The overall safety profile of ACTEMRA was consistent across all global clinical studies. The study, known as LITHE, will be featured as an oral presentation during the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Annual Scientific Meeting along with results from two additional studies evaluating the long-term use of ACTEMRA in people with RA.
Lubris, Biomodels Report On Potential New Therapy For Osteoarthritis
Medical researchers will report findings (Oct. 19) that demonstrate that injecting the protein lubricin into knee joints can dramatically reduce cartilage degeneration. The discovery by scientists at Biomodels, a preclinical drug research organization, and Lubris, a Massachusetts-based startup company, could result in a new therapy for individuals at risk for osteoarthritis, researchers said. The study, by Gregory D. Jay, MD, PhD, a Professor of Emergency Medicine and Biomedical Engineering at Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University, will be presented Monday morning at the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals Conference.
New SIMPONI TM Data Show Long-Term Efficacy In Treatment Of Rheumatoid Arthritis
New long-term data from two pivotal, Phase 3 clinical trials showed that patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) receiving SIMPONI(TM) (golimumab) every four weeks achieved sustained improvements in signs and symptoms and physical function response through one year. These new data were presented at the 2009 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Annual Scientific Meeting. "New data demonstrate sustained efficacy of golimumab dosed every four weeks in patients with RA who were previously treated with anti-TNF agents, " said Dr. Jonathan Kay, Professor of Medicine and Director of Clinical Research in the Rheumatology Division at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts and lead study investigator.
Trubion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Reports Positive Data From Phase 2b Re-treatment Study Of TRU-015
Trubion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRBN) announced favorable safety and efficacy data following administration of a second course (R2) of re-treatment with 800 mg of TRU-015 for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). These data are the latest results from the ongoing open-label re-treatment portion of the Phase 2b (15002) RA study of TRU-015. Pfizer Inc. and Trubion are collaborating on the development of TRU-015 for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, including RA. Data from the open-label re-treatment phase of the Phase 2b study demonstrate that repeat administration with TRU-015 is generally well-tolerated and results in sustained improvement in the signs and symptoms of RA.
Patients Taking VIMOVO TM Showed A Decrease In Incidence Of NSAID-Associated Ulcers
AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) and POZEN Inc. (Nasdaq: POZN) announced pivotal data from two POZEN clinical trials that were presented at the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2009 Annual Scientific Meeting in Philadelphia, PA. The data demonstrated that patients at risk for developing NSAID-associated gastric ulcers taking VIMOVO(TM) (naproxen/esomeprazole magnesium, formerly known as PN 400) experienced significantly fewer endoscopically confirmed gastric ulcers (GU) compared with patients taking enteric-coated (EC) naproxen (500 mg) alone. Data from study PN400-301 showed a 4.1% incidence of GU in patients taking VIMOVO, compared to 23.1% among patients taking EC naproxen (p<0.
CEL-SCI Presents Data At American College Of Rheumatology Conference Which Suggests That CEL-2000 Has Potential To Slow Damage
CEL-SCI Corporation (NYSE Amex: CVM) announced the presentation of new rheumatoid arthritis data at the American College of Rheumatology's annual meeting in Philadelphia, PA. The data, presented by Dr. Daniel Zimmerman in conjunction with the Company's collaborators from Washington Biotech, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine and BolderBiopath, indicate that CEL-SCI's rheumatoid arthritis treatment vaccine CEL-2000 acts to prevent or retard the permanent tissue damage caused by rheumatoid arthritis in animals. These statistically significant results were demonstrated by the measurement of four different parameters, suggesting that CEL-2000 appears to block the immune response that causes the autoimmunity which leads to rheumatoid arthritis.
United States Bone And Joint Decade Announces Conference Program
The United States Bone and Joint Decade announced an unparalleled program for its 2009 Global Network Conference to be held in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, October 21-Saturday, October 24. The conference will bring together the official Bone and Joint Decade National Action Network representatives from 56 countries, members of the administration, government policy makers, health care providers, patients and patient advocates for a two-day Patient Advocacy Meeting on October 21-22 and the Global Network Conference on October 23-24. The Global Network Conference is a two-day education and strategic planning meeting which will highlight the significant burden of disease posed by musculoskeletal conditions and why raising awareness and engaging in advocacy are important means to advance prevention and treatment.
Winston Laboratories, Inc. Receives Notice Of Non-Compliance In Canada For Its New Drug Submission Of CIVANEX To Treat Osteoarthritis
Winston Laboratories, Inc. ("Winston Labs"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Winston Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTC BB: WPHM) today announced that it has received a Notice of Non-compliance ("NON") from the Therapeutics Drug Directorate, Health Canada (the "Directorate") for its New Drug Submission (NDS) for CIVANEX (zucapsaicin cream 0.075%) for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis. The Directorate remarked that the analysis of the pivotal trial did not support the requested indication. Winston Labs has a period of ninety days to submit a response to the Directorate's NON, which it intends to do. "Winston Labs intends to fully address the comments in the NON, and believes that the clearly favorable risk-benefit profile of CIVANEX should lead to approval in Canada, " stated Joel E.
Updated Data From Randomized Controlled Phase II Study Evaluating Oral Apremilast In Psoriatic Arthritis Demonstrates Sustained Response At Six Months
Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ: CELG) announced that updated results of a phase II, multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, three-arm study of apremilast in adult patients with psoriatic arthritis (CC-10004-PSA-001) were presented today at the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2009 annual meeting in Philadelphia, PA. Apremilast is an oral pluripotent immunomodulator that inhibits the activity of PDE4 and modulates the production of multiple pro-inflammatory mediators, including TNF-О, IL-2 IL-10, IL-17, and IL-23. CC-10004-PSA-001 sought to determine the efficacy and safety of apremilast in 204 patients at two different dosing regimens - 20mg twice per day (BID) or 40mg once per day (QD) compared to placebo after 12 weeks, with 126 patients participating in an extension of the study for an additional 12 weeks (24 weeks total).