May 2022

Response to secukinumab on synovitis using Power Doppler ultrasound in psoriatic arthritis: 12-week results from a phase III study, ULTIMATE

doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keab628

D'Agostino, et al. aimed to evaluate whether treatment with secukinumab inhibits synovitis in patients with active PsA, as measured by PDUS. They found that secukinumab rapidly and significantly decreased synovitis, indicating a direct effect of IL-17 inhibition on the synovium in patients with PsA.

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Risankizumab as induction therapy for Crohn’s disease: Results from the phase 3 ADVANCE and MOTIVATE induction trials

Lancet 2022;399:2015–30 doi 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00467-6

Risankizumab was effective and well tolerated as induction therapy in patients with moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease, though there were no significant differences in efficacy between 600mg and 1200mg doses.

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Effect of Secukinumab on Traditional Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Inflammatory Biomarkers: Post Hoc Analyses of Pooled Data Across Three Indications

Rheumatol Ther. 2022 doi: 10.1007/s40744-022-00434-z

Merola and colleagues demonstrated a rapid and sustained reduction in hsCRP and the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in patients with IMIDs with a high systemic inflammatory burden treated with secukinumab.

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Immune‑related adverse events (irAEs) in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients treated with interleukin (IL)‑17 inhibitors: a systematic review and meta‑analysis

Inflammopharmacology. 2022, Apr;30(2):435-451. doi: 10.1007/s10787-022-00933-z

The most common immune system-related AEs in patients treated with IL-17 inhibitors are mucosal and opportunistic infections.

Interleukin (IL)-17 inhibitors are a series of biological drugs used to treat a number of conditions, including ankylosing spondylitis, a disease characterised by immune system dysregulation and joint inflammation. Azadeh, et al. aimed to assess the risk of immune system-related AEs due to targeting IL-17 or IL-17R.

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Guselkumab for the Treatment of Crohn’s Disease: Induction Results From the Phase 2 GALAXI-1 Study

Gastroenterology 2023;165:1588 doi 10.1053/j.gastro.2022.01.047

Guselkumab induced greater clinical and endoscopic improvements in patients with Crohn’s disease versus placebo, with a favourable safety profile in this Phase 2 trial by Sandborn, et al.

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March 2022

Baricitinib further enhances disease-modifying effects by uncoupling the link between disease activity and joint structural progression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Ann Rheum Dis. 2022. Epub ahead of print doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-221323

Baricitinib reduces structural damage progression versus placebo with background MTX and/or MTX, even in patients with moderate or high disease activity.In patients with RA, TNFi, IL-6i and rituximab have been shown to uncouple the link between disease activity and radiographic progression such that patients are protected from structural damage progression even if remission/low disease activity is not achieved.As such, Lopez-Romero, et al. aimed to evaluate if baricitinib further enhances diseas...

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February 2022

Janus kinase-targeting therapies in rheumatology: a mechanisms-based approach

Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2022 Jan 5:1–13. Epub ahead of print doi: 10.1038/s41584-021-00726-8

The development of targeted small-molecule therapies such as JAK inhibitors, which have varied selective inhibitory profiles, has enabled a paradigm shift in the treatment of diverse disorders, to the extent that they could ultimately enable either complete withdrawal or avoidance of glucocorticoid use in some autoimmune diseases, and could have the potential to regulate any active factor inhibiting the transition to cure.In this review paper, Tanaka, et al. describe the progress in JAK-targetin...

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Effect of dose adjustments on the efficacy and safety of tofacitinib in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a post hoc analysis of an open-label, long-term extension study (ORAL Sequel)

Clin Rheumatol. 2022 Jan 1. Epub ahead of print doi: 10.1007/s10067-021-05908-z

Post-hoc analysis shows that dosing up from tofacitinib 5 to 10 mg BID is associated with improved efficacy for up to 12 months, versus staying on 5 mg BID, and dosing down from 10 to 5 mg BID is not generally associated with a significant loss of efficacy.Although clinical trials have generally shown no significant differences, in terms of efficacy and safety, when switching tofacitinib dose up or down, these per-protocol switches are not directly informative for clinical decision-making in dai...

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January 2022

Pain Reduction in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Who Use Opioids: A Post Hoc Analysis of Phase 3 Trials of Baricitinib

ACR Open Rheumatol. 2021. Epub ahead of print. doi: 10.1002/acr2.11380

This post hoc analysis shows that pain reduction was similar between opioid users and nonusers with baricitinib 2 mg and 4 mg, but not adalimumab.Use of opioids to treat RA-related pain has increased, yet long-term use has been associated with reduced efficacy and safety concerns. In addition, the misuse of opioids has resulted in a public health crisis in the United States and highlights the need for safe, effective nonaddictive alternatives for pain management. As such, Pope, et al. assessed p...

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