The British Society for Rheumatology

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News archive

BSR and SSR respond to BMJ letter

12 October 2011

You may be aware of a recent letter regarding rheumatoid arthritis that appeared in the BMJ, from Dr Des Spence, a general practitioner based in Glasgow (see http://www.bmj.com/content/343/bmj.d6357.full). It argues that rheumatoid arthritis is being overdiagnosed. BSR, working with the Scottish Society for Rheumatology have written a response pointing out that the letter makes several misleading claims. The response has been sent to the BMJ.

Read the full response from BSR and SSR

New BSR Chief

12 September 2011

Laura Guest takes charge of BSR as its Chief Executive Officer on Monday 17 October. Laura comes to us from NHS Waltham Forest where she has been Deputy CEO and Director of Commissioning since 2009.

Laura has worked at Executive level across organisations from NHS Trusts to the Department of Health and the commercial sector, within London and nationally.

Her experience in commissioning began when she was appointed as the Associate Director of Commissioning at East and North Hertfordshire Health Authority and then Chief Officer for Welwyn and Hatfield Primary Care Group. She was promoted to Director of Health Improvement, Modernisation and Commissioning at Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire PCT.

Her clinical background has helped deliver a proven track record in leading successful transformation programmes, resulting in improved performance impact, quality improvement and financial outcomes.

New Biologics Register

06 September 2011

Contract negotiations with Pfizer and Abbott are proceeding well and we hope to be in a position to announce the start date of the Ankylosing Spondylitis Biologics Register (BSR-ASR) very soon. In the meantime if you would like to register an interest in recruiting your patients to the register please contact Nia Taylor - ntaylor@rheumatology.org.uk with a completed expression of interest form.

Golimumab for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis

24 August 2011

BSR welcomes NICE guidance on the use of Golimumab for patients with ankylosing spondylitis. View further details

News for August 2011

NICE vacancies on independent advisory committees on the use of health technologies

NICE is recruiting members to join its four independent advisory Appraisal Committees to consider and interpret evidence on the clinical and cost effectiveness of health technologies and to forumulate recommendations on their use. Vacancies are in the following categories:

Statistician
General Practitioner
NHS Management
Clinical Pharmacologist
Health Economist

View further details

National Joint Registry vacancies

The National Joint Registry (NJR) of England and Wales is looking for two new members to join their Committee:

An Independent Healthcare Sector Member (DH0151)
A representative of patients undergoing joint replacement surgery (DH0618)

View further details

News for July 2011

NCGC vacancy

The National Clinical Guideline Centre (NCGC) is recruiting for a Chairperson for the update of NICE guideline and Quality Standard on Osteoarthritis.
View further information. Application deadline: Monday 1 August 2011 at 5pm.
Please contact jen.layden@rcplondon.ac.uk with any queries.

Recent media coverage of paracetamol

The press have recently publicised a report which outlined findings suggesting that paracetamol usage is associated with an increased the risk of haematological malignancies. BSR's Clinical Affairs Committee has reviewed this paper and considers risks to patients to be very low. View further details

Join Arthritis Research UK’s Team A in the Bupa Great North Run

Taking place on Sunday 18 September the Bupa Great North Run is the largest and most iconic half marathon in the world. The course starts in Newcastle and finishes on the breathtaking seafront in South Shields, with over 54,000 runners taking part every year this is one race not to be missed!
Arthritis Research UK has a number of Guaranteed Places available for this event and we want YOU to join ‘Team A’.View further details

NASS welcomes new director, Debbie Cook

The National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society (NASS) is pleased to welcome its new director, Debbie Cook who replaced Jane Skerrett at the beginning of June this year. NASS is the leading charity for people affected by ankylosing spondylitis (AS), an inflammatory arthritis that affects the spine and other parts of the body. Debbie will lead an awareness raising campaign to raise the profile of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) among practitioners, commissioning health services and the general public.
For more information about NASS visit their website

Abatacept for rheumatoid arthritis

24 June 2011

BSR is disappointed with the NICE decision to not recommend abatacept in combination with methotrexate for moderate to severe RA in adults whose disease has responded inadequately to one or more conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. View further details

Published abstracts from Rheumatology 2011

12 April 2011

Fat Mass BMD (Abstract 1025382)

Gene Nutrition Osteoporosis (Abstract 1025452)

RA Criteria (Abstract 1011391)

Sexual Dysfunction (Abstract 1024099)

Smoking and AS (Abstract 1025550)

Golimumab for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

13 May 2011

BSR welcomes the guidance from National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on the use of Golimumab for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. View further details

Golimumab for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis

17 March 2011

BSR welcomes the guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on the use of Golimumab for patients with Psoriatic Arthritis. View further details

NICE FAD on Tocilizumab for the treatment of RA

2 July 2010

NICE has published guidelines on the use of Tocilizumab for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. View further details

NICE FAD on adalimumab, etanercept, infliximab, rituximab and abatacept for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after the failure of a TNF inhibitor

25 June 2010

NICE have published guidelines on sequential therapy for patients failing a first anti-TNF. Although most patients will then go onto rituximab and methotrexate, if patients have contra-indications to either of these drugs, or show early toxicity once they have been exposed to them, they would be entitled to a second anti-TNF or abatacept. View further details

Inflammatory Arthritis awareness campaign: Have you got the 'S' factor

21 May 2010

Developed by the Rheumatology Futures Project Group (RFPG) and endorsed and supported by Arthritis Research UK, the Royal College of GPs and The Primary Care Rheumatology Society. View posters and further details

Health inequalities must be tackled by a National Clinical Director

30 March 2010

A National Clinical Director for musculoskeletal conditions would improve services for people with these conditions, the British Society for Rheumatology said today. View BSR's position statement on a National Clinical Director for Musculoskeletal Conditions

Public Accounts Committee into Services for People with RA - report

23 February 2010

BSR welcomes the report from the Public Accounts Committee into Services for People with RA. View further details

NICE decision on use of Certolizumab pegol for RA

21 January 2010

BSR welcomes the guidance from NICE on the use of certolizumab pegol for patients with active rheumatoid arthritis, for whom previous DMARD treatments have been inadequate. View further details

2009 News

Updated DH advice on swine flu vaccines for immunosuppressed patients
10 December 2009

National Audit Office conference: Improving Services for People with Rheumatoid Arthritis
9 December 2009

The NAO report provided a powerful lever for rheumatologists to change local services. The conference on 8 December focused on the report’s findings and recommendations. Professor Dame Carol Black was the keynote speaker.
Chair of BSR's Clinical Affairs Committee, Dr Chris Deighton, presented the current picture of rheumatoid arthritis care:

NAO Report: Services for People with Rheumatoid Arthritis
15 July 2009

Swine Flu and Patients on Anti-TNF
14 July 2009