Biologic Therapy

Withdrawal and reinitiation of treatment with most biologic agents had minimal impact on efficacy in plaque psoriasis, according to a study.

Among patients with inflammatory bowel disease who received at least two biologic therapies, discontinuation of treatment appeared to vary based on initial treatment choice, according to data presented at the ACG Annual Scientific Meeting.

Initial biologic therapy is now the most common treatment for children with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis in the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance Registry, according to data presented at ACR Convergence 2021.

Early, aggressive treatment with a biologic alongside a conventional DMARDs for juvenile idiopathic arthritis achieved clinically inactive disease at 24 months more frequently than other strategies, said a presenter at ACR Convergence 2021.

Hospitalizations for sepsis, skin and soft tissue infections and UTI among patients with psoriatic arthritis “significantly” decreased over a 5-year period despite a rising uptake in biologics, according to data presented at ACR Convergence 2021.

Patients with psoriasis who use biologics are more likely to develop psoriatic arthritis than those on other or no therapies, according to retrospective data published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

In a new study, approved asthma biologics and systemic corticosteroids were not associated with an increased risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection, but use of systemic corticosteroids was linked with worse COVID-19 outcomes.

COVID-19 mortality was not increased in patients on immunosuppressive biologics, according to a study.

SAN DIEGO — With a rise in interest in orthobiologics, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has developed tools to educate orthopedic surgeons on when it is appropriate to use orthobiologics in practice.

The advent of biologics and other immunomodulatory options provides hope for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, according to a speaker at the 2021 Rheumatology Nurses Society annual conference.