Publications

Salvato et al. showed that the combination of GC and b/tsDMARDs did not provide additional clinical benefits after 12 months, suggesting that chronic GC use alongside advanced therapies should be avoided. Authors assessed the impact of chronic oral low-dose GCs on the efficacy and retention rates of JAKi compared to other mechanisms of action (OMA) therapies in a cohort of RA patients with inadequate response to TNFi.

Kameda et al. reported that UPA treatment sustained efficacy with no new safety signals identified through 5 years of treatment and is a long-term treatment option for Japanese patients with RA and an inadequate response to csDMARDs. Authors present the full 5-year efficacy and safety data for upadacitinib obtained in the SELECT-SUNRISE study.

Diamanti et al. showed that after 12 months of UPA treatment, a substantial proportion of RA patients achieved combined clinical and US remission, independent of prior bDMARD use or monotherapy. In the preliminary data from the UPARAREMUS study, authors reported efficacy of UPA in achieving both clinical and US remission up to 24 weeks in 60 RA patients.

Bennett et al, showed that tofacitinib treatment in adults with rheumatoid arthritis led to a significant increase in lower limb and thigh muscle volume, accompanied by rises in serum creatinine without evidence of renal impairment.

Nozaki et al. showed that JAK inhibitor treatment provided sustained disease control (especially in high-risk RA patients) and promoted GC reduction, although TNF inhibitors remain a standard option. Nozaki et al. evaluated the clinical efficacy and continuation rates of JAK inhibitors and TNF inhibitors in RA patients with poor-prognosis factors (PPFs).

This large French nationwide study by Fautrel et al. provided reassuring results for patients, who initiated tocilizumab (TCZ), aged at least 75 years compared to younger patients. Authors compared patient characteristics, tolerance of RA treatments, and long-term management with TCZ in patients with RA over and under 75 years of age.

Most patients vaccinated with RZV while using UPA 15mg QD and background MTX achieved satisfactory humoral and cell-mediated immune responses to recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) at Weeks 4, 16 and 60. Winthrop et al. evaluated the immunogenicity of RZV through Week 60 in patients with RA who were receiving UPA 15mg QD and background MTX.

Wieczorek et al. present the first evidence supporting the use of a dual JAK and ROCK inhibitor as a potential treatment option for patients with RA who have inadequate response to MTX. Wieczorek et al. conducted a randomised, Phase 2 study of CPL’116 in patients with RA with inadequate response to MTX, to evaluate dose-dependent effects on disease control and pharmacokinetics, and its effect on laboratory abnormalities among other safety assessments.

Schaefer et al. showed that treatment with JAKis (predominantly BARI and TOF) was associated with an increased HR of malignancies compared to treatment with bDMARDs in the overall study cohort, consistent with results from the ORAL surveillance trial. To better understand the complex role of JAKis in cancer development in RA patients, Schaefer et al. estimated the effects of JAKis compared to bDMARDs on the risk of malignancy (excluding NMSC) in patients with RA.