Janna Lawrence

Journalist

Janna Lawrence is a freelance science writer based in London, UK

RNA interference therapies could be on the cusp of success

This new way of modifying problematic gene expression has had a rocky start — but things are looking up.…

Blocking the immune system in rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is caused by the immune system attacking the body. It afflicts about 1% of people in the UK and is now treated with a variety of biologic drugs that dampen the immune system in different ways…

New small molecule drug shows promise in refractory rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis patients who do not respond to treatment with biologic therapies may find relief in baricitinib, a new small molecule drug, according to the results of a phase III study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.…

Trauma to joints can increase risk of psoriatic arthritis

Patients with psoriasis who experience trauma to the joints or bones are up to 50% more likely to go on to develop psoriatic arthritis, finds new research.…

Rheumatoid arthritis patients should be offered intensive treatment when first diagnosed

Evidence to support intensive treatment with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs when patients are first diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis has been presented at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology.…

FDA approves two new drugs for irritable bowel syndrome

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved two new treatments for patients with irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhoea.…

Broadly neutralising antibody shows some success in treating patients with HIV

A potent type of antibody therapy trialled in HIV patients for the first time has been shown to reduce the amount of virus in patients’ blood.…

Major bleeding risk higher for dabigatran than for warfarin, study suggests

Research suggests that dabigatran is associated with a higher risk of bleeding compared with warfarin in a US population sample.…

Genes influence response to statins, research finds

Four genes are responsible for about 5% of the variation in an individual’s response to statin treatment, research suggests.…