OBJECTIVE This paper will establish the rationale for developing a long-term cost model to assess the utilization and associated economics of biologic agents in the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis. This information should assist with defining the total cost of drug treatment when using biologic therapy to treat psoriasis. SUMMARY The development of biologic therapies has effected th...

BACKGROUND Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a progressive autoimmune disorder of joints that is associated with high health care costs, yet guidance is lacking on how early to initiate biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), a class of medications that is the major cost driver in RA management. Few studies have examined the factors associated with the transition from nonbiologic DM...

As the Global Medical Affairs Gastroenterology Lead for tofacitinib at Pfizer, I read with great interest the review by Dr Ungar and Dr Kopylov entitled “Advances in the development of new biologics in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)” [1]. In reading the article, I identified a number of inaccuracies concerning tofacitinib, which I thought should be brought to the attention of the authors and ...

The purpose of this report is to provide suggested guidance concerning the monitoring of TNF blocker therapy. Since the completion of randomized trials, several new long-term safety concerns have arisen, involving mycobacterial and opportunistic infections, cytopenias, lymphoma, demyelinating disease, drug-induced lupus, congestive heart failure and hepatotoxicity. Since these serious events ar...

\s=b\ Recent studies postulate biologic factors as the primary basis for sexual orientation. However, there is no evidence at present to substantiate a biologic theory, just as there is no compelling evidence to support any singular psychoso-cial explanation. While all behavior must have an ultimate biologic substrate, the appeal of current biologic explanations for sexual orientation may deriv...

to the standard immunosuppressive treatment demonstrating its limitations and the current unmet need of, at least, similarly effective and less toxic treatment. To illustrate the close connection between a better understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease and targeted treatment, the papers on the pathogenesis of ANCA-associated vasculitis [2] , lupus nephritis [3] , the role of anti-PLA2R...

Over the past decade, the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis has been revolutionised by the development of therapies targeted at molecules involved in driving the inflammatory response. This review briefly summarises the established uses of biologic therapies in rheumatoid disease, and outlines other diseases in rheumatology and other fields where biologic agents are finding a role.

Honey has been used as a wound dressing for thousands of years, but only in more recent times has a scientific explanation become available for its effectiveness. It is now realized that honey is a biologic wound dressing with multiple bioactivities that work in concert to expedite the healing process. The physical properties of honey also expedite the healing process: its acidity increases the...

B iologic medicines provide needed relief to millions of Americans with arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn’s and other diseases. The medicines, also known as biologics and biopharmaceuticals, are derived from living organisms by programming cell lines to produce therapeutic substances. Common biologics include human growth hormone, injectable treatments for arthritis and psoriasis, the hepatitis B vac...