Publications

Upadacitinib 15 mg once daily demonstrated a similar safety profile to adalimumab 40 mg every other week, except for higher rates of HZ and opportunistic infections with upadacitinib treatment in patients treated for PsA

Upadacitinib is an oral Janus kinase inhibitor utilised in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA). This integrated analysis by Burmester, et al. describes the safety profile of upadacitinib at 15 and 30 mg per day for three years of exposure. Safety data were pooled and analysed from two randomized, placebo-controlled phase 3 trials. Both trials evaluated upadacitinib 15 mg and 30 mg once daily, and one trial also utilised adalimumab 40 mg every other week as a comparator. Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and laboratory data were summarized for four groups: pooled placebo, pooled upadacitinib 15 mg, pooled upadacitinib 30 mg, and adalimumab.

Rates of malignancies, MACEs, VTEs, and deaths were comparable among patients receiving upadacitinib and adalimumab. No new safety risks emerged with longer-term exposure to upadacitinib.