June 2022

Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with conventional, targeted and biological disease‑modifying antirheumatic drugs in the setting of liver injury and non‑alcoholic fatty liver disease

Rheumatol Int. 2022 doi: 10.1007/s00296-022-05143-y

An increased incidence of liver diseases emphasizes greater caution in prescribing antirheumatic drugs, owing to their hepatotoxicity. However, drug-induced liver injury (DILI) in RA patients represents an aetiological and therapeutic challenge, due to the intertwining of inflammatory and metabolic elements mediated by IL-6 and TNF-α.

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Short- and longer-term cancer risks with biologic and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs as used against rheumatoid arthritis in clinical practice

Rheumatology (Oxford) 2022 doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keab570

Observational, nationwide cohort study finds no increased risk for cancer overall in RA patients treated with TNFis, anti-CD20 or anti-IL6.

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Comparison of drug retention of TNF inhibitors, other biologics and JAK inhibitors in RA patients who discontinued JAK inhibitor therapy

Rheumatology (Oxford) 2022 doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keac285

Real-world population-based study shows that a switch to a second JAKinib results in a higher drug retention, as compared to switching to a TNFi, in patients with RA who discontinue original JAKinib therapy.

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Ixekizumab in radiographic axial spondyloarthritis with and without elevated C-reactive protein or positive magnetic resonance imaging

Rheumatology Expert, 2022 DOI: 10.1093/rheumatology/keac104

Maksymowych et al., evaluated the efficacy of Ixekizumab in patients with radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (r-axSpA) with and without objective measures of inflammation.

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Impact of filgotinib on sacroiliac joint magnetic resonance imaging structural lesions at 12 weeks in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis (TORTUGA trial)

Rheumatology 2022;61:2063–71 doi:10.1093/rheumatology/keab543

Maksymowych et al., carried out a post-hoc analysis to assess the effect of filgotinib on MRI measures of structural change in the SI joint in patients with active AS in the TORTUGA trial. This study evaluated lesions using SPARCC SSS definitions for erosion, backfill, fat metaplasia and ankylosis by two independent scoring readers.

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Baseline Characteristics and Treatment Response to Ixekizumab Categorised by Sex in Radiographic and Non radiographic Axial Spondylarthritis Through 52 Weeks: Data from Three Phase III Randomised Controlled Trials

Advance Therapy,2022 Jun;39(6):2806-2819. doi.org/10.1007/s12325−022−02132−2

van der Horst-Bruinsma et al., carried out a post-hoc analysis to confirm that the clinical presentations and responses to ixekizumab therapy may differ in male and female patients.

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Upadacitinib as induction and maintenance therapy for moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis: Results from three Phase 3, multicentre, double-blind, randomised trials

Lancet 2022;399(10341):2113–28 doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00581-5

The results of two induction studies (UC1 and UC2) and a maintenance study (UC3) show upadacitinib superiority to placebo in treating ulcerative colitis (UC). Rates of clinical remission were significantly higher for all upadacitinib doses versus placebo in all three studies.

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Filgotinib as induction and maintenance therapy for ulcerative colitis (SELECTION): A phase 2b/3 double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial

The Lancet 2021;397:2372–2384 doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00666-8

Treatment of patients with UC with filgotinib 200 mg was associated with an increase in clinical remission at Week 10 and Week 58. The proportion of patients with clinical remission at Week 58 was significantly greater in patients who continued FIL 200 mg therapy throughout the trial. The incidence of TEAEs was similar across all treatment groups.

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May 2022

Risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in patients initiating biologics/apremilast for psoriatic arthritis: a nationwide cohort study

doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keab522

Pina Vegas and her colleagues sought to assess the relative risk of MACEs in patients with PsA initiating bDMARDs or apremilast. They found that overall, the data produced overall a positive picture regarding the incidence of MACE in treatment.

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Responses to Ixekizumab in Male and Female Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis: Results from Two Randomized, Phase 3 Clinical Trials

doi: 10.1007/s40744-022-00445-w

Eder, et al. sought to investigate the sex-based differences in treatment response between male and female PsA patients. They found that overall male patients had higher clinical response rates and greater improvements in the individual components of these measures.

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