Clinical

Articles

In an analysis of fracture risk associated with loop diuretic use among postmenopausal women in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study, investigators demonstrated no significant association between loop diuretic use and fractures or changes in bone mineral density (BMD). With prolonged use of loop diuretics, however, the risk of fracture was modestly increased.

Loop diuretics have mixed effects on fracture risk

The Long-Term Intervention on Fractures with Tibolone (LIFT) study demonstrated a reduced risk of vertebral fracture, breast cancer, and possibly colon cancer but a significantly increased risk of stroke in older postmenopausal women treated with tibolone versus those treated with placebo.

Tibolone reduces fracture and breast CA risk, increases stroke risk

The first phase of a double-blind, randomized, parallel-group, multicenter, outpatient study demonstrated that treatment with the combination of etanercept and methotrexate was more effective in inducing both clinical remission and radiographic nonprogression than methotrexate alone in patients with early moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methotrexate plus etanercept effective in inducing clinical remission in patients with early moderate-to-severe RA

Tocilizumab, an investigational agent for the treatment of moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis, is a humanized anti-IL-6 receptor monoclonal antibody. Because tocilizumab contains a mouse monoclonal antibody grafted onto human immunoglobulin, the grafted antibody is less antigenic and has a longer half-life than the mouse antibody. When administered, tocilizumab inhibits IL-6 activity by competing for both the membrane-bound and soluble types of IL-6 receptors, thus eliminating IL-6 transduction into the cell.

Tocilizumab: A humanized anti-IL-6 receptor monoclonal antibody for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Drugs in development for the treatment of adult and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Drug Watch: Agents in late-stage development for the treatment of adult and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (July 2008) (PDF)

Treatment options for osteoporosis include calcium, vitamin D, estrogen plus progesterone, calcitonin, and bisphosphonates.

Current and emerging treatment options for postmenopausal osteoporosis

The use of biologic treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with an increased risk of nonmelanotic skin cancer and melanoma, according to a large observational study published that included 13,001 patients.

Biologic treatment of RA associated with increased risk of nonmelanotic skin cancer and melanoma

A summary of agents in late-stage development for the prevention and/or treatment of osteoporosis.

Drug Watch: Agents in late-stage development for the prevention and/or treatment of osteoporosis (December 2007) (PDF)

In 2 prospective cohort studies published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers demonstrated that selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) use, but not the use of other common antidepressants, was associated with a significant decrease in total hip and lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) among older patients compared with nonuse of antidepressants.

Use of SSRIs could lead to brittle bones in older patients

In a large cohort study, it was demonstrated that the use of intravenous (IV) bisphosphonates was associated with an increased risk of inflammatory conditions or osteomyelitis of the jaw and the need for jaw or facial bone surgery.

Musculoskeletal/Rheumatology