Biologic therapies refer to genetically engineered treatments such as monoclonal antibodies and receptor-immunoglobulin fusion proteins. Following many disappointments, the introduction of anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF alpha) therapies into the clinic has clearly demonstrated the exciting potential of biologic agents. Many of these have been designed to modulate a specific aspect of the ...

GVA Gastroenterologists need to know that biologic agents have been under study for more than 15 years now, and a lot has been learned about their benefits and risks. The anti–tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents are currently dominating the field of biologic therapy in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The armamentarium is relatively small for gastroenterologists compared with that for rheumatol...

OBJECTIVES To analyse the treatment sequencing assumptions after failure on a first-line biologic in cost-effectiveness models of treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, and to compare them with the most recent treatment guidelines. METHODS A systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase, EconLit and the Cochrane Library databases used free text and Medical Subject Headings terms including p...

BACKGROUND Limited information exists on the impact of tumor necrosis factor inhibition on COPD exacerbations. This retrospective study characterized this impact among COPD patients with underlying autoimmune conditions, exposed to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) and/or non-biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). PATIENTS AND METHODS Adult COPD patients with ≥1 diagno...

BACKGROUND Galectin-3 (Gal-3) has been suggested as a prognostic biomarker in heart failure (HF) patients that may better reflect disease progression than traditional markers, including B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and cardiac troponins. To fully establish the utility of any biomarker in HF, its biologic variability must be characterized. METHODS To assess biologic variability, 59 patient...

The causes of cancer health disparities amongst Pacific Islanders and other racial groups are complex and multifactorial. Both biologic and non biologic determinants have been identified as causal factors. Racial/ethnic classification can be used as a surrogate for non biologic determinants such as place of geographic origin, socioeconomic status, cultural practices, and diet. Given that non bi...

OBJECTIVES To estimate annual direct costs of early RA by resource component in an inception cohort, with reference to four distinct treatment strategies: no disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), synthetic DMARDs only, biologic DMARDs in the first year ('first-year biologic', FYB), and biologic DMARDs from the second year after inclusion ('later-year biologic', LYB); to determine pred...

virilized? What causes the increased adrenal production of androgens at puberty? Why is aldosterone secretion markedly increased during pregnancy? How does cortisol protect against vascular collapse during stress? These are but a few of the many intriguing questions raised by the discussants. There are some errors in the book and one discussant in particular seemed to have a bad day. The book, ...

Abstract Background Prior exposure to biologics can influence response subsequent lines of advanced therapies. Previous analyses showed that patients who did not achieve clinical following 10 weeks ozanimod treatment in the phase 3 True North (TN) study benefited from extended induction with open-label TN extension (OLE) study. As impact prior biologic on outcomes is unknown, aim this analysis ...