Science News Roundup: AbbVie rheumatoid arthritis drug succeeds; Trump's Space Command

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

White House presses forward with Trump's Space Command

U.S. President Donald Trump's planned U.S. Space Command should seek to develop ways for the country's military to operate in outer space, White House advisers recommended on Tuesday, with the government hoping to secure approval for it by 2020. The National Space Council, a White House advisory panel, recommended a review of existing legal issues for military space operations and unveiled proposed legislation for Congress to create and fund a separate space agency to oversee commercial activities.

AbbVie rheumatoid arthritis drug succeeds in a late-stage trial

AbbVie Inc on Tuesday said its experimental rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment showed significant improvement in physical function, pain and quality of life compared with the commonly prescribed generic drug methotrexate in a late-stage clinical trial. The U.S. drugmaker hopes the drug, upadacitinib, can help replace lost revenue from its top-selling RA treatment Humira when it starts to face biosimilar competition in the United States in 2023.