July 2023

The 2023 Pipeline of Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDs) in Clinical Development for Spondyloarthritis (including psoriatic arthritis): a Systematic Review of Trials

RMD Open. 2023;9(3):e003279 doi 10.1136/rmdopen-2023-003279 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37507210/

This systematic review identified DMARDs evaluated for axSpA and PsA, distinguishing between csDMARDs, tsDMARDs, and bDMARDs. The review pinpointed twenty-six distinct targeted therapies currently in clinical development; 18 therapies for axSpA and 15 therapies for PsA.

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Do Fatty Lesions Explain the Effect of Inflammation on New Syndesmophytes in Patients with Radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis? Results From the SIAS Cohort and ASSERT Trial

RMD Open. 2023 9(3):e003118 doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2023-003118

This study concluded that, in r-axSpA, vertebral corner inflammation may lead to syndesmophyte formation but in a minority of cases via visible fat deposition. Here, investigators aimed to determine how much of the effect of vertebral corner inflammation on the development of syndesmophytes is explained by vertebral corner fat deposition.

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June 2023

Sustained low functional impairment in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA): Which are the primary outcomes that should be targeted to achieve this?

Arthritis Research & Therapy (2023) 25:70 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37118833/

This real-world study showed that sustained BASDAI <3 may be a valid and feasible target for a treat-to-target strategy in AxSpA, having function as treatment goal.

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Two‑Year Imaging Outcomes from a Phase 3 Randomized Trial of Secukinumab in Patients with Non‑Radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis

Arthritis Res Ther. 2023;16;25(1):80 doi 10.1186/s13075-023-03051-5

Braun et al. studied a large cohort of patients with nr-axSpA, that demonstrated a secukinumab reduced SI joint inflammation (BME), this reduction was sustained over 104 weeks, from an overall low baseline level of spinal inflammation or structural damage.

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Tofacitinib Reduces Spinal Inflammation in Vertebral Bodies and Posterolateral Elements in Ankylosing Spondylitis: Results from a Phase 2 Trial

Rheumatol Ther. 2023;10(4):1001–1020 doi 10.1007/s40744-023-00564-y

Tofacitinib treatment is associated with a significant improvement in CANDEN MRI scores of spinal inflammation in axSpA patients. This study by Østergaard, et al. also validates the CANDEN MRI scoring system as an approach for measuring axSpA-associated inflammatory lesions.

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Effect of Intravenous Golimumab on Fatigue and the Relationship with Clinical Response in Adults with Active Ankylosing Spondylitis in the Phase 3 GO-ALIVE Study

Rheumatol Ther. 2023;10(4):983–999 doi 10.1007/s40744-023-00556-y

Administration of IV-golimumab 2 mg/kg improves fatigue symptoms in axial spondylitis in a 52 Week study. At Week 16 of treatment, improvements in ASAS, ASDAS, BASDAI and SF-36 scores were observed at week 16 of treatment.

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Effect of Upadacitinib on Disease Activity, Pain, Fatigue, Function, Health-Related Quality of Life and Work Productivity for Biologic Refractory Ankylosing Spondylitis

Rheumatol Ther 2023; 10:679–91 doi 10.1007/s40744-023-00536-2

Upadacitinib significantly improved patient-reported outcomes in AxSpA patients with bDMARD-IR after 14 Weeks of treatment. There were notable improvements in disease activity, pain, fatigue, function, HRQoL, and work productivity.

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April 2023

When to Start Secukinumab Treatment in Patients with Axial Spondyloarthropathy: Before or After Anti-TNFα Treatment?

Reumatol Clin. 19 (2023); 175–179 doi 10.1016/j.reumae.2022.03.007

Secukinumab, an IL-17A monoclonal antibody, was shown to have remarkable efficacy for axSpA in the MEASURE 2 and MEASURE 3 trials. Previous studies have concluded that secukinumab was more efficacious in TNFi-naïve patients.

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Factors Associated with the Retention of Secukinumab in Patients with Axial Spondyloarthritis in Real-world Practice: Results from a Retrospective Study (FORSYA)

RMD Open 2023;9:e002802 doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2022-002802

This study reported the overall retention of secukinumab in daily practice in the period following its approval in France was approximately 59% at 1 year in axSpA patients. The aim of this study was to determine whether OSI were predictive of secukinumab retention at 1 year.

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Efficacy and Safety of Golimumab in Patients with Non-radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis: A Withdrawal and Retreatment Study (GO-BACK)

Rheumatology (Oxford) 2023;62(11):3601–3609 doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/kead112

This study highlighted that continued treatment with Golimumab (GLM) QMT or GLM Q2MT was superior to placebo. The GO-BACK study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of golimumab treatment withdrawal in adults with nr-axSpA who demonstrate inactive disease during a 10-month open label GLM run-in.

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