Rheum Roundup: Comparison of Osteoporosis Drugs, Ankylosing Spondylitis Fast Facts, SLE Mortality, and More

Amgen announced that its new osteoporosis drug romosozumab-aqqg (Evenity) will be priced at $1,825 per monthly dose, or $21,900 for a full, one-year course of treatment—between 34% and 74% lower than the competition, according to the company. (ICYMI: With its approval, the Food and Drug Administration [FDA] also gave the drug a boxed cardiovascular warning.)

Dan Reynolds, lead singer of the award-winning band Imagine Dragons, has recently opened up about his difficult battle with ankylosing spondylitis (AS)—here are five important facts to know about the chronic condition.

In other AS news, a recent study published in Arthritis Research & Therapy found that withdrawal of anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy infliximab in AS patients who have reached remission could result in relapse.

The FDA approved interleukin-23 antagonist risankizumab-rzaa, manufactured by AbbVie and marketed as SKYRIZI, to treat plaque psoriasis in adult patients with moderate-to-severe disease.

A study comparing tanezumab to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to treat moderate-to-severe osteoarthritis of the hip and knee had mixed results. Low-dose tanezumab was not superior to NSAID treatment, and in high-dose tanezumab, two of the study’s three primary endpoints were achieved.

Anti-IL-10 antibody was present in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and was associated with clinical parameters but not correlated with disease activity in a recent study.

Causes of death in SLE patients in Columbia can primarily be attributed to SLE activity refractory to immunosuppressive treatment and nosocomial bacterial infections.

Researchers compared changes in microbiome during treatment in patients with psoriasis versus healthy controls and concluded that this approach could help predict treatment outcomes.

Most psoriatic arthritis patients being treated with etanercept maintained clinical Disease Activity Index for Psoriatic Arthritis ≤ 13 one year after switching to etanercept biosimilar SB4.

Despite current guidelines, a study found that most alanine aminotransferase tests (ALT) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients during methotrexate (MTX) therapy do not capture elevation. The researchers called for a more patient-unique approach in monitoring ALT levels in MTX-treated RA patients.