Real-world data on treatment persistence and measures to minimize cardiovascular risk in rheumatic patients using upadacitinib
Rheumatology 2025;00:1–10 Doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keaf547 Epub ahead of print
Hernández-Hernández et al. showed that in a real-world clinical settings, UPA persistence is lower among RA patients who have received prior IL-6i treatment; and that treatment strategies to avoid UPA in patients with cardiovascular risk (CVR) appear to be primarily driven by pivotal safety studies rather than regulatory guidance.
In the UPAreal study, UPA proved to be effective in treating both axial and peripheral inflammatory manifestations of the rheumatic diseases for which it is indicated, aligning with results from RCTs. Clinical decisions to minimize CVR in UPA- treated patients have been guided by evidence-based findings rather than by regulatory recommendations. This study is the first to evaluate the implementation of CVR minimization strategies in patients with rheumatic diseases who are initiating a JAKi using real-world data.
