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ARTHRITIS IN THE NEWS

Archived Stories

The following archived stories are available:

May ushers in Arthritis Awareness Month The Arthritis Foundation, now celebrating its 60th anniversary, kicks off May with its series of Arthritis Walks to raise funds and awareness. To find a Walk near you, click here.

FDA approves new drug to fight juvenile arthritis For those patients six-years-old-and-up, the FDA has now added Orencia as a weapon in their fight against arthritis.

Study: RA doubles heart failure risk You may want to rethink that fatty burger for dinner. Yet another study points to higher risks of heart failure for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients -- twice as likely, in fact, than the general population.

Study: RA risk not increased by hormone replacement therapy A study using data from the recent Women's Health Initiative (WHI) clinical trials on hormone replacement therapy found that there were no significant differences in the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or the severity of RA between women on hormone replacement therapy and those who took placebos.

Study: New prednisone tablets decrease morning stiffness better In January 2008, German researchers at the Charite University of Medicine in Berlin reported finding a modified-release form of the steroid prednisone works better at reducing morning joint stiffness -- than the standard, immediate-release version -- in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Renewed hope emerges in RA battle The prognosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) as a life-debilitating illness is changing, according to a new feature article in the January/February 2008 issue of WebMD Magazine.

Study: Finger length predicts osteoarthritis risk An English study reports that people whose index finger is shorter than their ring finger are at higher risk of osteoarthritis.

Arthritis Foundation announces Top 10 advances of 2007 Compiling numbers on pediatric arthritis, approving Lyrica to treat Fibromyalgia, and passing FDA drug regulation and safety legislation were three of the most important arthritis-related advances in the past year, according to the Arthritis Foundation.

Drinking regular soda increases gout risk The decades-long question -- regular or diet soda -- took a dramatic turn this month for arthritis patients. It seems drinking any soft drinks with high amounts of sugar can significantly increase the risk of gout.

Forteo increases bone density better than Fosamax In the November 2007 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, the drug Forteo more than doubled osteoporosis patients' bone density measurements and significantly reduced the risk of new spinal fractures when compared to those taking Fosamax.

Half of early RA patients achieve disease remission in etanercept+methotrexate drug trial Christmas may have arrived early for some Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients: a new report shows that half of patients with early RA achieved disease remission within one year on a new drug treatment.

FDA approval could await new RA treatment The family of drugs treating rheumatoid arthritis could grow by one in the future if a new FDA drug application is approved.

Fibrin Looks to Play Role in Development of RA Researchers released the first study showing that a protein called fibrin plays an important role in the inflammatory response and development of rheumatoid arthritis.

Two New Genes Shown Linked to Ankylosing Spondylitis Researchers at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston reported the discovery of two genes involved in the cause of ankylosing spondylitis, an inflammatory and potentially disabling arthritic disease.

Meditation Has Psychological Benefits for RA Suffers A recent study shows that a particular type of meditation provides psychological benefits for RA patients, but no physical advantages.

Link Between Region of Human Genome and Rheumatoid Arthritis Found A recent study submits strong evidence that a particular section of the human genome is associated with the development of rheumatoid arthritis.

Autumn fashion trends can improve your health Flip flops should definitely be out, out, out!

An update on the Merck/Vioxx lawsuits (Since we no longer have commercials by lawyers reminding us about it anymore.)

Glycine Helps to Prevent Arthrosis A recent study found that direct intake of glycine helped to prevent arthrosis and other degenerative bone diseases.

Antioxidant-rich Diet May Help Protext Knee Osteoarthritis Recent research shows that diets containing foods with high level of antioxidants may provide protection against knee arthritis.

Pain Counseling Shown to Help with Arthritis Pain According to a recent study, giving arthritis suffers tools for coping with pain can help them feel, and function, better.

No Definite Link Found Between Protein/Iron Intake And Rheumatoid Arthritis Researchers from John Hopkins were unable to find a link between the risk of dietary protein intake and iron consumption on the development of rheumatoid arthritis.

Actemra Shown to Be Effective Against RA Results from a recent multinational study show that new drug Actemra is indeed effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis.

New Gene Therapy Shows Promising Results Research shows that a new gene therapy can nearly eliminate arthritis pain, and significantly reduce long-term damage to the affected joints.

Free Seminars by RISE Ambassadors Over the next month, RISE Ambassadors will be visiting ten cities across the country. Meet people just like you who are ready to share the challenges and successes living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

MRI Reveals Association Between Fibula Ligament and Knee Osteoarthrosis A study suggests that there is an association between abnormalities in particular ligaments of the knee and osteoathrosis.

Chondroitin Shown to be Ineffective for Osteoarthritis A meta-analysis of previous trials found that chondroitin had little effect towards treating osteoarthritis.

No Association Between Exercise and Knee Arthritis Found A team of researches report that habitual physical activity is not associated, either positively or negatively, with knee osteoarthritis.

Genetic Mutation Linked to Cases of Osteoarthritis in Asian Populations Japanese researchers discovered a variant in a gene called GDF5 that looks to related to the development of different types of osteoarthritis.

New Approach to Treating Autoimmune Disease Discovered at University of Pennsylvania Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered how to modify enzymes that act on the FOXP3 protein, in turn making the regulatory immune cells work better.

INNERSTATE - Watch the trailer for a hot new movie with an RA star.

Arcoxia easier on the stomach than diclofenac A meta-analysis of three studies on a new arthritis drug from Merck & Co., Arcoxia, showed that it causes fewer stomach disorders and complications than diclofenac.

FDA Set to Expand Access to Unapproved Drugs Should its guidelines become finalized, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will proactively assist physicians in getting experimental drugs in the hands of the terminally ill.

FDA Says Celebrex Okay For Children The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved Celebrex for use in kids older than two as a treatment for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

Building a better mouse (and understanding of RA) Genetically altered mice with RA show promise as important new tools in understanding the disease.

Fatigue - How to Lessen the Daily Impact RA Horizons, an educational program from Genentech and Biogen Idec that provides useful information about rheumatoid arthritis, helps you take control of the management of your condition and facilitate the most effective communication with your healthcare team, provided the following article on fatigue and RA. Although the website is specifically for RA, we like the advice for OA, too.

Rituxan Shown to Improve RA Symptoms Over Several Courses, According to Studies' Interim Findings Interim findings showed that a greater proportion of patients had a better response following treatment with a subsequent course of Rituxan, in combination with methotrexate (MTX), compared to outcomes after their first course.

Interleukin's Anti-inflammatory Effects Prolonged in Duke Study Researchers at Duke University found a way to devise a new significantly prolong the effects of an anti-inflammatory drug, thus making it useful for providing longer-lasting treatment for osteoarthritis.

Being Male Found to Significantly Influence the Development of RA A team of researchers from the University of California examined families with a history of RA among both their female and male members to investigate how the disease affects the sexes differently.

Cancer Drug May Prevent Rheumatoid Arthritis A drug commonly used to treat cancer may treat and perhaps even prevent painful rheumatoid arthritis.

RA Drugs found to work better when delivered directly to the nervous system Rheumatoid arthritis drugs have been found to work better when delivered into the central nervous system.

Turning Over an Old Leaf Scientists at the University of Edinburgh found that topical applications of mint oil dramatically relieved pain.

Acetaminophen Still Best Choice for Mild-to-Moderate Pain Relief The National Prescribing Service (NPS) of Australia released advice to doctors based on new research showing the benefits of acetaminophen over other medications for minor pain relief.

Mislabeled Azathioprine Prescriptions Recalled Roxane Laboratories Inc. has decided to voluntarily recall azathioprine tablets used to help patients with rheumatoid arthritis because a bottle containing the wrong medication was found in one lot.

Rituxan Shows Promise In Treating RA A team of scientists announced positive results from a Phase III clinical study of Rituxan in adult patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis.

Abatacept Shows Promise Against RA Abatacept, an alternative drug for rheumatoid arthritis, may help reduce symptoms in patients who don't respond to standard treatments.

California Judge Backs Stem-Cell Research In April, 2006, a California judge opened the way for California to begin funding a $3 billion stem-cell research effort.

Omega-3 supplements shown to relieve back pain Omega-3 fatty acid supplements may be effective for relieving neck and low back pain.

Scientists use stem cells to repair arthritis damage in mice Scientists modified stem cells to help in the repairing of damage caused by arthritis.

Natural joint lubricant may work in arthritis treatment Researchers at Duke University found new evidence that explains how the body's natural joint lubricant prevents the wear and tear, and it is their prediction that such research could be used to develop new treatments for osteoarthritis.

Rituxan Approved by FDA Against Rheumatoid Arthritis The FDA approved the therapeutic antibody Rituxan to reduce signs and symptoms in patients suffering from moderately-to-severely active rheumatoid arthritis.

Your Mileage May Vary Based on her own experiences, New York Times Personal Health columnist Jane Brody disputes the findings of the recent University of Utah glucosamine and chondroitin study.

Latest Study Casts Doubt on the Efficacy of Glucosamine and Chondroitin A University of Utah study of knee osteoarthritis shows glucosamine hydrochloride and chondroitin sulfate don't work.

A Little Exercise Goes a Long Way A team of scientists from Northwestern University reported findings suggesting that moderate exercise may help prevent disability from arthritis.

New Personalized Therapy Works on the Cellular Level A Spanish research team claims to have successfully developed a cellular therapy to treat mice with rheumatoid arthritis.

TENS Has Potential Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is used by hundreds of clinician in the treatment of various types of pain, including arthritic pain.

Next Time, Try Medicair Goading hospitals into improving their safety standards, Britain's Chief Medical Officer stated that the risk of being killed in a hospital was much greater than the risk of being killed while flying in an airplane.

Body Mass Index Shown to be Obsolete According to the results of recent standardized case-controlled study, changing the standard from body mass index (BMI) to waist-to-hip ratio would improve accuracy of cardiovascular (CV) risk assessment across ethnic lines.

New Labels for Drugs Promised The FDA announced that new prescription drug labels will be easier to read and updated quickly on the Internet.

U.S. Senate Votes to Scrutinize FDA Panels Under an amendment passed unanimously by the U.S. Senate the FDA has to publish a list of waivers, and the reasons for granting them.

Echinacea Found to Be Ineffective A team found that none of the three types of echinacea fared better than placebo at preventing or treating a cold.

A new and better type of COX inhibitor? HCT 3012 is the first in a new class of analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs called COX-inhibiting nitric oxide donators (CINODs) that show little sign of gastrointestinal side effects.

Abatacept Gets Board's Recommendation A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee recommended the approval of a new drug to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

Herpes Infections May Be Linked to Rheumatoid Arthritis According to a study published in the September 2005 issue of Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, Herpes viruses are associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Doxycycline Shows Potential in Slowing OA Doxycycline may slow progression of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, according to the results of a randomized, double-blind trial.

Longer Legs a Bigger Pain A recent study of a Chinese population suggests that increased leg length may predispose taller people to knee OA later on in life.

Pains and Kneedles Results of a recent randomized trial suggest that acupuncture could reduce pain and improve joint functioning in the short-term for people with osteoarthritis of the knee.

Wnts, Joints, and Knees A study appearing in the July 2005 issue of the American Journal of Pathology targets the cellular signaling protein called Wnt as a contributor to the progression of both rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA).

RA and "Random" Heart Attacks A new study from the Mayo Clinic produced surprising results about heart attacks associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

FDA Approves Remicade for Psoriatic Arthritis Thanks to a multinational trial, Remicade, a drug once only used in RA patients, has now been approved by the FDA for treating psoriatic arthritis.

Getting a Grip (Yes, you can!) Despite the aches and creaks that come without warning, it's important patients know what's happening and feel in control; in fact, feeling in control is the beginning of fighting back. This article explores why and how.

ADED Benefits Whether it is the value of nutrition, the latest in drug therapy, or otherwise, today's research is informed by the idea that antirheumatic therapy ought be aggressive, proactive and optimally, preventative. A look at advanced diagnostics and early detection efforts and how doctors are becoming better at the power of spotting arthritis factors early.

Needling Arthritis Away A recent National Institutes of Health study indicates acupuncture can be a helpful complimentary treatment for arthritis. The study's high profile and bottom line evidence show how far American medical opinion has come regarding acupuncture's merit.

Cooking out the Creak: Arthritis and Nutrition One study finds red meat increases the risk for arthritis. Another finds fish decreasing morning stiffness and swollen joints. A brief look at the ongoing research of arthritis and nutrition.

US HHS FDA CDER DSOB & WWW (phew!) The FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research will create a Drug Safety Oversight board and website to more quickly react to potential drug safety issues.

Race and Arthritis: the Problem of Undertreatment Study after study shows how black Americans experience arthritis at the same rate as white Americans, but with greater pain intensity. There are no hard and fast answers for this disparity yet medical undertreatment is a major part of a growing explanation.

You Make the Call An FDA advisory panel's recent recommendation to reintroduce Vioxx, albeit with prominent warning labeling, still doesn't answer many questions, but it does remind us that there will always be viable risks and benefits that patients and their physicians need to weigh when treating arthritis, or any condition for that matter.

Taking it on the hip: Do older people deal with pain better? Despite what you may think, a new study finds that younger people report more difficulty coping with pain. Does this gap mean it's more painful to be young? Or does it reveal a generational shift in our attitudes towards pain?

Etodolac: Return of an Arthritis Veteran The U.S. Veterans Affairs department has long chosen to prescribe Etodolac instead of COX-2 inhibitors, but what does that mean for veterans of Vioxx?

Fighting Arthritis at 105 The newest arthritis medication returning to center stage, aspirin, is one of the oldest.

The Link between Rheumatoid Arthritis and Hearing Loss Another study reaffirms the long-thought connection between RA and Hearing Loss--this article also discusses the possible key(s) to this link.

A Different Life with RA Andrea D'Angelo writes in about her diagnosis with RA, and living with RA for the past five years.

Get the Red Out A University of Manchester study found that red meat consumption increased the risk of rhumatoid arthritis.

Breastfeeding, Prolactin, and Rheumatoid Arthritis A recently released study shows that breastfeeding reduces a woman's risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis when researchers expected otherwise. This may mean a new direction when investigating the link between hormones--specifically prolactin--and RA.

Genentech and Rinat Neuroscience Working Together on Antibody to Treat Acute and Chronic Pain Genentech and Rinat will combine forces to develop RI 624, an NGF-antibody that could severely decrease acute and chronic pain.

What Was Being Said Before the Vioxx Recall The September Vioxx recall publicly questioned the benefits of COX-2 inhibitors for the first time, but for doctors and clinical researchers, the possible link between COX-2 inhibitors and heart disease had long been a matter worth discussing.

The Alternative of Anakinra Anakinra is proving itself a valuable second line of defense for patients with moderate to severe RA.

Fear not! New Treatment Approaches for Osteoarthritic Relief We learned about some new approaches to osteoarthritic relief at the AAPM&R's 65th Annual Assembly in Phoenix.

Filling Vioxx's Void Although Vioxx is gone, alternatives are available. Celebrex, Bextra, and MOBIC are prescription COX-2-inhibiting pain relievers, while over-the-counter possibilities such as Motrin exist.

AAPM&R 2004 Annual Conference CreakyJoints' co-founders Seth Ginsberg and Lou Tharp attend the 65th annual AAPMR conference in Phoenix, Arizona this weekend.

Paracetamol/Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen against OA? A recent study showed that ibuprofen was significantly more effective in reducing pain than acetaminophen in patients with hip or knee OA.

Topical NSAIDs, Temporary Relief A recent analysis of studies of topical NSAIDs found that their pain relieving benefits disappeared after two weeks.

Milnacipran for Fibromyalgia A promising new drug, milnacipran, aims to be the first FDA-approved drug treatment for Fibromyalgia Syndrome.

Issues of Genetics and Arthritis New research continues to show strong connections between arthritis and heredity.

Rituximab: The RA Smart-Bomb Rituximab is shown to help in the fight against RA by targeting B-Cells.

Double no-Trouble Being Double-Jointed doesn't mean you'll have arthritis.

A 180-degree Turn for Crohn's Treatment, is Arthritis Far Behind? Leukine treatment for Crohn's disease may hold promise for arthritis treatments.

One Step Forward, One Step Back A recent study, conducted by a pharmacy benefit manager, has shown that aspirin, taken to offset the risk of a cardiac event, negated the gastrointestinal benefits of taking a COX-2 inhibitor over other, lower-cost NSAIDs.

Budesonide vs. RA From battling nasal allergies to inflammatory bowel disease: Now, Budesonide is being researched in the fight against RA.

It's Not Just Growing Pains Seth's doc, Thomas J.A. Lehman, M.D., writes a book on juvenile arthritis.

Three Non-invasive RA Therapies CreakyJoints looks at cold/heat therapy, hydrotherapy, and electrical stimulation therapy for rheumatoid arthritis.

Are you In or Out? Comprehensive rehabilitation--inpatient or outpatient--is effective and valuable for RA.

Rheumatoid Predictions Peering into the future of arthritis.

From cause to cure? Cutting the head from the body of fibromyalgia.

Bad News: Lifting Quarter Pounders Doesn't Count Fibromyalgia may not be such a tough nut to crack - if you can get out there!

Don't Fear Fibromyalgia Depression and Fibromyalgia: closer than you thought?

A new attack on RA Another method to strike fear into RA's black heart. (Or something...)

Did Somebody say NSAID? Adding to the NSAID regimen for Osteoarthritis.

Targeting TNF with DMARDs

The Environment, Vitamin D, and RA