ATLANTA — Dr. Alan Kivitz, founder and president of the Altoona Arthritis & Osteoporosis Center and the Altoona Center for Clinical Research, recently traveled to Atlanta for the annual American College of Rheumatology conference. While attending the conference Kivitz presented the findings from the Phase 3 FUTURE trials.
The purpose of the Phase 3 FUTURE clinical trial was to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of a study drug, secukinumab, which was self-administered by patients who had active psoriatic arthritis. The investigators in this national study had groups of patients that received different milligram doses of the study drug or received a placebo and assessed how each individual responded to each. They assessed how the study drug affected their disease activity and how the medication or placebo affected their quality of life.
Patients from the US tended to have a higher BMI (body mass index), more swollen and tender joints and have already been treated with more previous biologic medications. However at the 300 mg dose of secukinumab despite these challenges the overall responses were similar to the rest of the patients outside the U.S. at an approved dose of 300 mg every four weeks.
As a practicing physician, Kivitz has more than 37 years of experience treating patients with arthritis and rheumatic disorders. He received his medical degree from Albany Medical College in Albany, N.Y. He completed training in internal medicine at the North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. He then completed his fellowship training in rheumatology at Albany Medical College. He is board certified in internal medicine as well as the subspecialty of rheumatology.
Kivitz has authored and co-authored more than 500 research articles, abstracts, and studies on subjects covering osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and pain management.
In addition, his studies have been published in several prestigious medical journals including
The New England Journal of Medicine, Pain Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, Arthritis & Rheumatology, and Journal of Clinical Rheumatology. Kivitz has served as a consultant on numerous osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis clinical trials.
Kivitz is an active member of the Pennsylvania Medical Society and the American Medical Association. He holds certifications in human subjects protection and HIPAA Research Training and is classified as a Certified Principal Investigator by the Association of Clinical Research Professionals. His research work has focused on the development of newer strategies for treating patients with arthritis and rheumatic disorders. He has served as principal investigator or sub-investigator in more than 1,000 clinical trials.
