Top in rheumatology: Over-the-counter therapy for joint pain; Fair Access in Residency Act
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The University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging revealed that 70% of people aged 50 years or older experience joint pain to some extent. Among them, two-thirds said they use over-the-counter therapies to manage the pain.
According to Beth Wallace, MD, MS, a rheumatologist at the VA Ann Arbor Health Care System, many of these patients are receiving inadequate treatment information from their health care providers.
“Sixty percent of those taking two or more substances for their joint pain said their health care provider hadn’t talked with them about risks, or they couldn’t recall if they had,” said Wallace in a press release announcing the poll’s results. It was the top story in rheumatology last week.
Another top story covered the newly introduced Fair Access in Residency Act. The bipartisan bill seeks to ensure equitable access for DO and MD residency candidates to graduate medical education programs. The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine said in a press release that the bill would address “the unfair barriers and discrimination that osteopathic medical students face when applying to federally funded residency training.”
Read these and more top stories in rheumatology below:
Two-thirds of older adults with joint pain use OTC therapies to manage pain
Most older adults with joint pain feel they can manage said pain without physician assistance, while 66% report they treat their joint pain with over-the-counter drugs such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, according to a poll. Read more.
Bipartisan bill would require residency programs to equitably assess DO, MD candidates
A newly introduced bill in the U.S. House of Representatives would require federally funded graduate medical education programs to equitably assess and accept both DO and MD residency candidates, according to a press release. Read more.
FDA grants fast-track designation for efzofitimod in systemic sclerosis-associated ILD
The FDA has granted fast-track designation for efzofitimod (ATYR1923, aTyr), a potential first-in-class immunomodulator, in the treatment of systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease, according to a press release from the drug’s manufacturer. Read more.
VIDEO: ACR criticizes Medicare contractors for ‘inappropriately low reimbursement’
Medicare administrative contractors are circumventing the normal policy process related to complex drug administration codes, leading to “inappropriately low reimbursement,” according to the American College of Rheumatology. Watch video.
ACR: Patients on long-term glucocorticoids should receive oral bisphosphonates
Patients receiving long-term glucocorticoids should use oral bisphosphonates to reduce the risk for bone loss and fracture, according to new guidelines currently under peer review from the American College of Rheumatology. Read more.