Lupus

More than 80% of surveyed U.S. pharmacists believe that hydroxychloroquine sulfate should be used as a potential treatment for COVID-19, raising access concerns among rheumatologists for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis who rely on the drug.

The FDA has approved an abbreviated new drug application for hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets to address ongoing shortages of the drug sparked by its still unproven potential as a COVID-19 treatment.

Black women who experience sexual and physical abuse during childhood are at an increased risk for developing systemic lupus erythematosus as an adult, according to data published in Arthritis Care & Research.

Rheumatologists, rheumatology patients and the organizations who represent both have reacted this week with a mixture of hope and dread following the FDA’s decision allowing the emergency use of hydroxychloroquine to treat some patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

More than 50 rheumatology societies, including the American College of Rheumatology, have urged U.S. governors to ensure judicious use of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine for investigational COVID-19 purposes, given that these drugs are essential for many rheumatology patients.

An international group of more than a dozen rheumatologists have cosigned an article published in Annals of Internal Medicine discouraging the off-label use of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19, until said use is justified by data and the drug’s supply is replenished.

In the wake of increasing reports of hydroxychloroquine shortages in the United States, sparked by its still-untested potential as a COVID-19 treatment, the American College of Rheumatology has issued new guidelines on its scarce allocation.

A 2-year, sustained mean blood pressure of 130-139/80-89 mm Hg — now considered the threshold for stage 1 hypertension by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association — is associated with a 73% higher risk for atherosclerotic vascular events among patients with lupus, according to data published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

The American College of Rheumatology, the Lupus Foundation of America, the Arthritis Foundation and the American Academy of Dermatology have issued a joint statement calling on Vice President Mike Pence to address shortages of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, following comments from White House regarding their potential use in treating COVID-19.

Neither elective nor medically indicated abortions resulted in worse outcomes among patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases, according to data published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.