Top in rheumatology: Tocilizumab granted EUA, ACR warns against home infusions

The FDA authorized the emergency use of tocilizumab for certain hospitalized patients with COVID-19. This marks the fourth monoclonal antibody authorized during the pandemic.

However, it was not authorized for outpatients with COVID-19. The announcement was the top story in rheumatology last week.

Another top story was about a position statement from the American College of Rheumatology, which said that requiring patients to do biologic infusions at home jeopardizes their safety. The ACR said biologics can cause a range of reactions.

Read these and more top stories in rheumatology below:

FDA issues EUA for tocilizumab to treat patients hospitalized with COVID-19

The FDA has issued an emergency use authorization for tocilizumab to treat hospitalized patients receiving corticosteroids who require supplemental oxygen, mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, according to a press release. Read more.

ACR: Infusions belong in a facility, not at home

The American College of Rheumatology has released an updated position statement declaring biologic infusions should be administered in a monitored health care setting rather than in the patient’s home, as some insurers have mandated. Read more.

In for the long haul: Clinicians wrestle with post-acute COVID-19 syndromes

The time warp of COVID-19 has offered yet another twist. As acute infections and the associated fatalities have finally begun to ebb in the United States, a new phase of the pandemic has emerged: the long-hauler phase. Read more.

Tofacitinib lowers risks for death, respiratory failure in COVID-19 pneumonia

Treatment with tofacitinib led to a lower risk for death or respiratory failure through day 28, compared with placebo, in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia, according to data published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Read more.

Sprifermin maintains long-term cartilage structural improvements in knee osteoarthritis

Improvements in articular cartilage thickness among patients with knee osteoarthritis who received sprifermin, versus placebo, during the FORWARD trial were maintained over a 3.5- to 4-year follow-up period, according to data. Read more.