September 2022

Impact of initial therapy with upadacitinib or adalimumab on achievement of 48-week treatment goals in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: post hoc analysis of SELECT-COMPARE

Rheumatology (Oxford). 2022. Epub ahead of print doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keac477

Post hoc analysis findings provide the first data evaluating the importance of treatment order with JAKinib vs TNFi as initial therapy, suggesting that a JAKinib first strategy leads to more rapid improvements in treatment outcomes following csDMARD failure.

Keywords:

Infections in patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving tofacitinib versus tumour necrosis factor inhibitors: results from the open-label, randomised controlled ORAL Surveillance trial

doi: 10.1136/ard-2022-222405

Post hoc analysis, using the final dataset from ORAL Surveillance, reveals a higher risk of non-serious infections and herpes zoster with tofacitinib vs TNFi, and higher risk of serious infection events with tofacitinib 10 mg BID versus TNFi, particularly in patients aged ≥65 years.

Keywords:

Consensus statement on blocking interleukin-6 receptor and interleukin-6 in inflammatory conditions: an update

doi: 10.1136/ard-2022-222784.

Blocking the IL-6R is a major therapeutic advance for many diseases in adults and children. Updated consensus statement provides guidance to rheumatologists and other experts, as well as patients and administrators, on managing patients with the use of drugs blocking the IL-6 pathway.

Keywords:

August 2022

Safety and Efficacy of Bimekizumab in Patients with Active Ankylosing Spondylitis: 3-Year Results from a Phase 2b Randomized Controlled Trial and its Open-Label Extension Study

Arthritis Rheumatol 2022 doi: 10.1002/art.42282

Bimekizumab is associated with sustained, long-term efficacy in r-axSpA patinets across three years of treatment. In coming to this conclusion, investigators sought to assess the long-term safety, tolerability, and efficacy of bimekizumab in active r-axSpA.

Keywords:

Upadacitinib for the Treatment of Active Non-radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis (SELECT-AXIS 2): A Randomised, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Phase 3 Trial

Lancet 2022 doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01212-0

Upadacitinib significantly improved the signs and symptoms of nr-axSpA compared with placebo at Week 14 in this investigation. Prior to this, upadacitinib had been shown to be effective in patients with AS. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of upadacitinib in non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis.

Keywords:

Risankizumab Improved Health-Related Quality of Life, Fatigue, Pain and Work Productivity in Psoriatic Arthritis: Results Of Keepsake 1

Rheumatology (Oxford) 2022 doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keac342

In this study risankizumab treatment resulted in greater improvements in fatigue and pain than placebo. Prior to this finding the study aimed to evaluate the impact of risankizumab on HRQoL and other PROs among patients with active PsA and inadequate response or intolerance to csDMARD-IR in the KEEPsAKE 1 trial.

Keywords:

Safety and Efficacy of Bimekizumab in Patients with Active Psoriatic Arthritis: 3-Year Results from a Phase 2b Randomized Controlled Trial and its Open-Label Extension Study

Arthritis Rheumatol 2022 doi: 10.1002/art.42280

In this investigation bimekizumab was associated with a sustained ACR50 improvement. This was highlighted following the attempt to describe the long-term safety, tolerability, and efficacy of up to three years of bimekizumab treatment in PsA patients

Keywords:

Efficacy and Safety of Secukinumab in Patients with Spondyloarthritis and Enthesitis at the Achilles Tendon: Results From a Phase 3b Trial

Rheumatology (Oxford) 2022 doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keab784

Secukinumab improves the burden of heel enthesitis as assessed by patient and physician reported outcomes in patients with active SpA refractory to standard treatment. In coming to this conclusion, the ACHILLES trial aimed to demonstrate the efficacy of secukinumab on Achilles’ tendon enthesitis in SpA patients.

Keywords:

Incident and Recurrent Herpes Zoster for First-Line bDMARD and tsDMARD Users in Seropositive Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: A Nationwide Cohort Study

Arthritis Res Ther. 2022;24(1):180

Herpes zoster (HZ) risk is significantly increased in seropositive RA patients with a history of HZ after the initiation of bDMARDs or tsDMARD. It is now well known that the incidence and recurrence of HZ are quite common in patients with RA in real-world clinical settings, yet there is limited evidence regarding bDMARD-dependent HZ risk among patients with a history of HZ prior to bDMARD use.

Keywords: