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Drug News
The Latest Drugs for Fibromyalgia
The federal food and drug administration (FDA) has given its nod to two new drugs to treat fibromyalgia, a condition characterized by chronic, widespread pain.
Both milnacipran (Savella), which was approved in January, and duloxetine (Cymbalta), which was approved in June 2008, work by boosting the action of two neurotransmitters, serotonin and norepinephrine, which are thought to be important in the transmission of pain signals throughout the body.
In clinical trials involving more than 2,000 people with fibromyalgia, those taking milnacipran experienced statistically significant improvements in pain and physical functioning compared to those taking a placebo. Milnacipran has been commercially available as an antidepressant for more than a decade outside of the United States.
Duloxetine had previously been approved by the FDA to treat depression, generalized anxiety and diabetic nerve pain. It was the first antidepressant, and the second drug, to be specifically approved to treat fibromyalgia. In clinical studies, people with fibromyalgia who took duloxetine had greater overall improvement in their symptoms, including pain and fatigue, than those taking a placebo.
- Denise Lynn Mann
Source: Arthritis Today Magazine (February 2009)
Latest Biologics for RA
In the last decade, there have been significant advances in treating rheumatoid arthritis, especially for patients whose arthritis does not respond to traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). The most important advance has been the development of a group of drugs called biologic response modifiers or biologics.
There are a number of biologics approved to treat rheumatoid arthritis. These include:
- Actemra
- Cimzia
- Enbrel
- Humira
- Kineret
- Orencia
- Remicade
- Rituxan
- Simponi
Other biologics are being studied to treat rheumatoid arthritis as well as other conditions.
Find more detailed information on these medications and others at WebMD.com
3 Drugs are Better than One when Lupus Attacks the Kidneys
A new study shows that a three-drug combination may allow more people with severe lupus involving the kidneys to regain their normal function, when compared with the standard one-drug therapy."By attacking different parts of the immune system we can use smaller doses of many medicines, rather than very large doses of one drug," says Joseph Lieber, MD, a kidney specialist at City Hospital Center at Elmhurst in New York, as a way to reduce side effects.The new study included 40 patients with severe lupus nephritis. One group of patients received "multi-target" therapy with the immunosuppressant drugs tarcolimus and mycophenolate mofetil - commonly used as anti-rejection drugs in transplant patients - plus a steroid, while the others received cyclophosphamide.People with lupus nephritis who took the triple-drug combo were four times more likely to achieve normal kidney function than their counterparts who received standard treatment with the cyclophosphamide. The people treated with three drugs also had fewer side effects.Source: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, Oct. 2008/Arthritis Today Magazine (February 2009)
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