May 2018

Pharmacokinetics of Upadacitinib with Clinical Regimens of the Extended-Release Formulation Utilized in Rheumatoid Arthritis Phase 3 Trials

Clin Pharmacol Drug Dev. 2019 Feb;8(2):208-216. doi: 10.1002/cpdd.462

Upadacitinib (UPA) extended release (ER) formulation dosing achieved the target profile that enables single dosing in patients with RA. In early clinical studies, UPA was given as an immediate release (IR) formulation, however patients were noted to experience fluctuations in blood plasma concentrations. To enhance patient compliance in UPA Phase 3 trials, ER tablets have been developed. Here, authors aimed at characterising the pharmacokinetics of UPA single and multiple doses of ER compared wi...

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Tofacitinib in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Lack of Early Change in Disease Activity Predicts a Low Probability of Achieving Low Disease Activity at Month 6

Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) 2019 Jan;71(1):71-79. DOI: 10.1002/acr.23585

This post-hoc analysis of two, Phase 3 studies, ORAL Start and ORAL Standard shows that early treatment response can predict long-term disease activity outcomes. EULAR recommendations suggest that treat-to-target strategies require regular target assessments with treatment approaches changed if targets are not reached at 6 months. To optimize this strategy, therapy outcomes should be known, and the relationship between short and long-term outcomes defined. The current analysis focused on the dis...

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Evaluation of Disease Activity in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Treated with Tofacitinib by RAPID3: Post Hoc Analyses from Two Phase 3 Trials

Clin Rheumatol 2018 Aug; 37(8):2043–53

Patients given tofacitinib (TOF) who achieved Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data 3 (RAPID3) remission or low disease activity (LDA) at 6 months, had improved long-term outcomes at 2 years, compared to patients with moderate or high disease activity (MDA/HDA) at 6 months.RAPID3¹ is a patient-reported evaluation of disease activity, based on pooled PROs; patient global assessment, patient assessment of arthritic pain and HAQ-DI scores. Previous studies with tocilizumab have suggested that RA...

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April 2018

Baricitinib for Previously Treated Moderate or Severe Rheumatoid Arthritis: An Evidence Review Group Perspective of a NICE Single Technology Appraisal

Pharmacoeconomics 2018 Jul; 36(7):769–78

In this National Institute for Health and Care (NICE) single technology appraisal of baricitinib (BARI) monotherapy and combination therapy with methotrexate (MTX), BARI efficacy was considered comparable to bDMARDs and a cost-effective use of National Health Service (NHS) resources.NICE is an independent organisation responsible for providing national guidance on health technologies in England. To be recommended by NICE, the company must provide evidence to prove BARI’s effectiveness, both clin...

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Tofacitinib for Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis After the Failure of Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs: An Evidence Review Group Perspective of a NICE Single Technology Appraisal

Pharmacoeconomics 2018 Sep; 36(9): 1063–72

In this National Institute for Health and Care (NICE) single technology appraisal of tofacitinib (TOF) plus methotrexate (MTX), TOF had similar efficacy and comparable costs to recommended bDMARDs plus MTX in patients with RA. NICE is an independent organisation responsible for providing national guidance on health technologies in England. To be recommended by NICE, the company must provide evidence to prove TOF’s effectiveness, both clinically and costly. This evidence based review, reports the...

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Effectiveness and Safety of Tofacitinib in Rheumatoid Arthritis: a Cohort Study

Arthritis Res Ther 2018; 20(1):60 doi: 10.1186/s13075-018-1539-6

A retrospective cohort study of tofacitinib (TOF) revealed that patients previously treated with methotrexate who initiated TOF, presented no differences in hospitalised infections or effectiveness, compared with non-TNF biologics. Currently, TOF is recommended in ACR and EULAR guidelines as an alternative to biologics after first-line cDMARD therapy. Previous indirect comparisons have shown that patients with RA who experience cDMARD failure show similar efficacy when given TNFis, abatacept, to...

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Effect of Filgotinib, a Selective JAK1 Inhibitor, with or without Methotrexate in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Patient-Reported Outcomes

Arthritis Res Ther 2018; 20(1):57 doi: 10.1186/s13075-018-1541-z

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) from two, Phase 2b, filgotinib (FIL) studies, DARWIN 1 and 2, revealed that patients receiving FIL had improved and sustained PRO responses compared with placebo. With suboptimal RA treatment, patients lose joint functional ability, which heavily influences patient quality of life. The previously reported data from the DARWIN studies, concluded that patients given FIL achieved clinically relevant dose-dependent improvements compared with patients given placebo¹,²...

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March 2018

Worldwide, 3-year, Post-Marketing Surveillance Experience with Tofacitinib in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatol Ther 2018 Jun; 5(1):283–91

This real-world analysis of tofacitinib (TOF) revealed that AEs reported by patients with RA from 2012 to 2015 were consistent with the known safety profile of TOF – no new safety risks were identified.As of August 2017, it is estimated that more than 102 000 patients worldwide have received TOF, but TOF safety has not been evaluated in patients with real-world experience. This analysis addressed this – by evaluating the safety of TOF from post-marketing surveillance (PMS) reports from patients ...

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Effect of Discontinuation or Initiation of Methotrexate or Glucocorticoids on Tofacitinib Efficacy in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Post Hoc Analysis

Rheumatol Ther 2018 Jun; 5(1):203–14. DOI: 10.1007/s40744-018-0093-7

Methotrexate (MTX) or Glucocorticoid (GC) discontinuation has little effect on CDAI response in patients given tofacitinib (TOF) for up to 3 years. Patients receiving TOF who showed initial improvements benefitted from initiation of MTX or GCs. Concomitant treatments such as MTX or GC are commonly used in combination with RA therapies to improve or accelerate clinical responses. However, their use is associated with many adverse events so clinicians aim to use them for a minimal duration.This po...

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Response to Baricitinib based on Prior Biologic Use in Patients with Refractory Arthritis

Rheumatology (Oxford) 2018 May; 57(5):900-908

Baricitinib (BARI) 2 or 4 mg had a beneficial treatment effect on patients with moderate to severe RA compared with placebo (PBO), irrespective of the number or nature of prior patient bDMARD use. The current therapeutic target for patients with established RA is low disease activity, but many patients fail to achieve this due to inadequate responses to DMARD therapies. With this patient population growing, therapies for these patients are considered one of the greatest unmet needs in RA. This s...

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