Publications

Efficacy and safety of tofacitinib following inadequate response to conventional synthetic or biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. 2015 Aug 14. doi:pii: annrheumdis-2014-207178.

Charles-Schoeman C,

Burmester G,

Nash P,

Zerbini CA,

Soma K,

Kwok K,

Hendrikx T,

Bananis E,

Fleischmann R.

This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of tofacitinib, an oral Janus kinase inhibitor, in patients with inadequate response to sDMARDs or bDMARDs. Findings from this study show both doses of tofacitinib were associated with improvements in efficacy parameters at month 3 versus placebo, and clinical response was numerically greater with bDMARD-naïve versus bDMARD-IR patients (95% CI overlapping). Safety parameters were generally similar; however, patients receiving glucocorticoids had more ...

Keywords:

• JAK,
• Tofacitinib,
• Review

Efficacy and safety of tofacitinib as monotherapy in Japanese patients with active rheumatoid arthritis: a 12-week, randomized, phase 2 study

Modern Rheumatology. 2015 Jul;25(4):514-21. doi: 10.3109/14397595.2014.995875.

Tanaka Y,

Takeuchi T,

Yamanaka H,

Nakamura H,

Toyoizumi S,

Zwillich S.

The oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, Tofacitinib, preferentially inhibits signalling by heterodimeric receptors associated with JAK3 and/or JAK1, blocking signalling for several cytokines. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of tofacitinib monotherapy versus placebo in Japanese patients with inadequate response to disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Data on response rates – ACR20/50/70, DAS28-4(ESR), and HAQ-DI – laboratory parameters and adverse events were col...

Keywords:

• JAK,
• Tofacitinib,
• Phase 2

The Efficacy and Safety of Subcutaneous Clazakizumab in Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Rheumatoid Arthritis and Inadequate Response to Methotrexate: Results from a Phase IIb, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo/Active-Controlled, Dose-Ranging, Multinational Study

Arthritis & Rheumatology. 2015 Jul 2. doi: 10.1002/art.39249. [Epub ahead of print]

Weinblatt ME,

Mease P,

Mysler E,

Takeuchi T,

Drescher E,

Berman A,

Xing J,

Zilberstein M,

Banerjee S,

Emery P

The humanised monoclonal antibody, Clazakizumab (CLZ), binds to circulating interleukin-6 (IL-6) cytokine rather than the IL-6 receptor, blocking both classical and trans-signalling. The purpose of this phase 2B study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of clazakizumab in patients with inadequate response to methotrexate (MTX). Data on selected response rates – ACR20/50/70, DAS28-CRP, SDAI ≤3.3, CDAI ≤2.8 and the ACR/EULAR Boolean definition – and adverse events were collected from 418 patie...

Long-term Safety of Tocilizumab: Results from 3 Years of Followup Postmarketing Surveillance of 5573 Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis in Japan

The Journal of Rheumatology. 1 June 2015 DOI: 10.3899/jrheum.141210 [Epub ahead of print]

Kazuhiko Yamamoto,

Hajime Goto,

Kenzo Hirao,

Atsuo Nakajima,

Hideki Origasa,

Kunihiko Tanaka,

Minako Tomobe and Kyoichi Totsuka

The humanised anti-interleukin 6 receptor monoclonal antibody tocilizumab (TCZ) has been available in clinical practice for several years. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term safety of for the treatment of RA in a real-world clinical setting as a long-term extension of a single-arm, observational post marketing surveillance study. Data on selected adverse events (AEs) - fatal events, serious infection, malignancy, GI perforation, and serious cardiac dysfunction - were collect...

Efficacy and safety of subcutaneous tocilizumab versus intravenous tocilizumab in combination with traditional DMARDs in patients with RA at week 97 (SUMMACTA)

Ann Rheum Dis. 10 May 2015 doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2015-207281 [Epub ahead of print]

Gerd R Burmester,

Andrea Rubbert-Roth,

Alain Cantagrel,

Stephen Hall,

Piotr Leszczynski,

Daniel Feldman,

Madura J Rangaraj,

Georgia Roane,

Charles Ludivico,

Min Bao,

Lucy Rowell,

Claire Davies,

Eduardo F Mysler

Tocilizumab (TCZ) has demonstrated efficacy and a well-established safety profile for intravenous (IV) administration. The Phase III SUMMACTA study evaluated the efficacy and safety of subcutaneous tocilizumab (TCZ-SC) in combination with DMARDS in patients with moderate-to-severe RA and inadequate response to ≥1 DMARD. Patients were randomised to receive TCZ-SC 162 mg weekly or TCZ-IV 8 mg/kg q4w in combination with DMARDs. After a 24-week double-blind period, patients receiving TCZ-SC were re-...

TNF-α and IL-6 differentially regulate Dkk-1 in the inflamed arthritic joint

Arthritis Rheumatol. 2015 May 4. doi: 10.1002/art.39183. [Epub ahead of print]

Yeremenko N,

Zwerina K,

Rigter G,

Pots D,

Fonseca J,

Zwerina J,

Schett G,

Baeten D.

Different inflammatory joint diseases have distinct patterns of bone damage, but the molecular pathways determining each one remains poorly defined. This study investigates the wingless (Wnt)-signalling pathway, by analysing the expression of Dkk-1 (an inhibitor of the Wnt pathway) and its regulation by the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 in SpA versus RA inflamed peripheral joints.Findings from the study show an inverse correlation of Dkk-1 with IL-6 in vivo and a differential regulat...

Keywords:

• IL-6,
• Basic Science,
• MOA,
• Review

Differential Effects of IL-17A and TNF-α on Osteoblastic Differentiation of Isolated Synoviocytes and on Bone Explants from Arthritis Patients

Frontiers in Immunology. 2015;6:151. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2015.00151

Osta B,

Roux JP,

Lavocat F,

Pierre M,

Ndongo-Thiam N,

Boivin G,

Miossec P

Inflammatory joint diseases such as RA and OA are characterised by bone and consequent joint destruction. The role of fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) in the pathogenesis of such diseases is already established. This study compared the effects of TNF-α and IL-17A on osteogenic differentiation of isolated FLS and on whole bone explants from 3 RA and 10 OA patients.Results showed that isolated RA-FLS appeared more sensitive to the effects of TNF-α and IL-17A compared to OA-FLS. These findings su...

Keywords:

• IL-17,
• Basic Science

Tofacitinib, an oral Janus kinase inhibitor: analysis of malignancies across the rheumatoid arthritis clinical development programme

Ann Rheum Dis. 2015 Apr 22. pii: annrheumdis-2014-205847. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-205847. [Epub ahead of print]

Curtis JR,

Lee EB,

Kaplan IV,

Kwok K,

Geier J,

Benda B,

Soma K,

Wang L,

Riese R

The developments of certain malignancies associated with chronic inflammatory diseases such as RA is known to occur to a greater extent than that of the general population. It is also know that certain RA treatments can affect malignancy rates. As such, newer immunomodulatory agents, such as the JAK inhibitor tofacitinib, are closely monitored for safety events of special interest, including malignancies.

This paper analyses pooled malignancy data from the tofacitinib RA clinical develop...

Keywords:

• JAK,
• Safety,
• Malignancy,
• Review

A small-molecule inhibitor of the NLRP3 inflammasome for the treatment of inflammatory diseases

Nat Med. 2015 Feb 16. doi: 10.1038/nm.3806. [Epub ahead of print]

Coll RC,

Robertson AA,

Chae JJ,

et al.

A team of scientists at Trinity College Dublin and the University of Queensland Australia, led by Professor Luke O'Neill, have identified a key molecule that may result in the development of new anti-inflammatory therapies for diseases such as: cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome (CAPS), multiple sclerosis, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and atherosclerosis.

Professor O'Neill and his team have identified MCC950 as a potent, selective, small-molecule inhibitor of the NLRP3 infla...

Keywords:

• MOA

Potential Mechanisms Leading to the Abnormal Lipid Profile in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Versus Healthy Volunteers and Reversal by Tofacitinib

Arthritis Rheumatol. 2015;67(3):616-25.

Charles-Schoeman C,

Fleischmann R,

Davignon J,

Schwartz H,

Turner S,

Beysen C,

Milad M,

Hellerstein M,

Luo Z,

Kaplan I,

Riese R,

Zuckerman A,

McInnes IB

Active RA is associated with changes in both high- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol as well as changes in the level and function of several HDL-associated proteins, yet the pathways and mechanisms involved with systemic inflammation altered lipid metabolism have not been determined. In addition, treatments for active RA are known to modify lipid metabolism, such as increasing circulating cholesterol levels. In the clinical development programme, a proportion of tofacitinib-treated patien...

Keywords:

• JAK,
• Tofacitinib,
• Basic Science,
• MOA