Effects of 1-year Tofacitinib Therapy on Angiogenic Biomarkers in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatology (Oxford) 2023; 62(SI3):SI304–SI312 doi 10.1093/rheumatology/kead502

This study by Kerekes, et al. investigated the relationship between tofacitinib therapy, angiogenic biomarker levels, and vascular inflammation and function in RA patients. The authors found that tofacitinib treatment reduced the production of bFGF, PlGF and IL-6, which may inhibit synovial and aortic inflammation.

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Baraliakos, et al. present data from two Phase 3 studies, BE MOBILE 1 and BE MOBILE 2, that investigated the clinical efficacy and safety of bimekizumab in axSpA patients. They found that bimekizumab had sustained and consistent efficacy in patients with nr-axSpA and r-axSpA.

This study by Bergman, et al. showed that RA patients are significantly more likely to adhere to upadacitinib within the first 12 months of prescription versus adalimumab, baricitinib, and tofacitinib. There was also a significantly lower risk of discontinuation for upadacitinib versus the other treatment prescriptions.

September 2023

In this post hoc analysis by Deoodhar, et al., the authors found that tofacitinib demonstrated greater efficacy than placebo in bDMARD-naïve and TNFi-IR AS patients. They also found that safety event rates for tofacitinib therapy were numerically higher in the TNFi-IR subgroup than the bDMARD-naïve subgroup.

In the UPJOINT open label study, the proportion of patients with PsA, and an inadequate response to csDMARDs or bDMARDs, who achieved minimal disease activity with upadacitinib was in line with the results of previous studies at 24 weeks. No new safety signals were identified.

Whole blood transcriptome profiling reveals differential gene expression in patients with active PsA from the DISCOVER-1 and DISCOVER-2 clinical studies in comparison with healthy controls.

High levels of clinical responses were seen throughout the first 48 weeks with bimekizumab treatment. These were maintained to Week 96 in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque PsO.

August 2023

Post-hoc analysis of SPIRIT-P1 and SPIRIT-P2 concludes that ixekizumab (IXE) is effective in improving axial symptoms in patients with active PsA presenting with axial manifestations.

July 2023

This systematic review identified DMARDs evaluated for axSpA and PsA, distinguishing between csDMARDs, tsDMARDs, and bDMARDs. The review pinpointed twenty-six distinct targeted therapies currently in clinical development; 18 therapies for axSpA and 15 therapies for PsA.

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Cicirello, et al. present results showing that baricitinib is comparable in treatment persistence with TNF inhibitors. However, treatment persistence up to 24 months was significantly longer for baricitinib, but the effect size of one month is not clinically meaningful.