May 2016

The Efficacy and Safety of Clazakizumab, an Anti-Interleukin-6 Monoclonal Antibody, in a Phase 2b Study of Adults with Active Psoriatic Arthritis

Arthritis Rheumatol. 2016 Mar 24. DOI 10.1002/art.39700 [Epub ahead of print]

Encouraging results have been seen with clazakizumab in RA, but the results of anti-IL6 therapy in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) have so far been unclear. This Phase 2b dose-ranging study examined the efficacy and safety of clazakizumab given subcutaneously q4w, with or without MTX, in 165 patients with PsA who had inadequate response to NSAIDs.ACR20 response at Week 16, the primary endpoint, was significantly higher in patients receiving clazakizumab 100 mg compared with placebo (52.4...

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Real-world Comparative Risks of Herpes Virus Infections in Tofacitinib and Biologic-treated Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Ann Rheum Dis. 2016 Apr 25;0:1–5 doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2016-209131

Herpes Zoster (HZ) complications can cause considerable morbidity including debilitating pain syndromes. Clinical trials of tofacitinib have suggested it may increase the risk of HZ. Although unclear, the mechanism may involve reduced CD4 T-cell function and interference of interferon signalling. Following approval of tofacitinib in the US in 2012, real-world data from Medicare (2006–2013) and from the US longitudinal database, Marketscan, (2010–2014) were analysed. A total of 2526 patients who...

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Extended-release once-daily formulation of tofacitinib: evaluation of pharmacokinetics compared with immediate-release tofacitinib and impact of food

J Clin Pharmacol. 2016 Mar 11. doi: 10.1002/jcph.734. [Epub ahead of print]

PK profile of TOF is rapid absorption and elimination with time to max concentration 0.5-1 hour and terminal half-life at 3 hours. It is currently approved for immediate release (IR) 5 mg BID, 10 mg total; however, decreasing the dosage to QD dosing may help increase compliance. This study performed in 24 healthy males compared the PK of XR and IR TOF under both single and multiple dose conditions and evaluated the effect of a high-fat meal on the PK of XR TOF. There were no clinically important...

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Effects of Tofacitinib and other DMARDs on Lipid Profiles in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Implications for the Rheumatologist

Semin Arthritis Rheum 2016;46:71–80

Increased inflammation and CV disease have been associated with lower total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein (LDL-C) levels in RA patients – an apparent paradox to what is observed in the general population. Previously, reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) levels have been associated with increased risk of CV, and an inverse relationship observed with levels of HDL-C level and C-reactive protein (CRP).This analysis of the literature with regard to studies using DMARDs in RA patie...

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March 2016

Clinical Relevance of VPAC1 Receptor Expression in Early Arthritis: Association with IL-6 and Disease Activity

 PLoS ONE 11(2): e0149141. doi:10.1371/journal. pone.0149141

VPAC1 and VPAC2 both mediate anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory responses in RA. Both these are receptors of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), a broadly distributed peptide found in neural, endocrine and immune cells, which triggers biological response when interacting with the aforementioned receptors. It has recently been described in Martinez et al. that those patients with low levels of VIP have worse disease outcome.1This study analyzed 250 blood samples from the Princesa early Arthr...

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Comparative effects of biologics on cardiovascular risk among older patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Ann Rheum Dis 2016;0:1–6 doi:10.1136/ annrheumdis-2015-207870 [Epub ahead of print]

Since RA patients are at an increased risk of a CV event, there have been several studies to determine if RA treatments alter this risk. In a retrospective study, Zhang and colleagues assess the risk of CV events in patients initiating bDMARDs.Using Medicare medical and pharmacy claims data, the incidence rate (IR) of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and of a composite CHD* was calculated across RA patients initiating 8 different biologics: ABA, ADA, CER, ETA, GOL, INF, RIT, and TOC. There were...

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Pregnancy outcome after tocilizumab therapy in early pregnancy – a case series from the German Embryotox Pharmacovigilance Center

Reproductive Toxicology doi:10.1016/j.reprotox.2016.01.002

MTX users have an increased incidence of spontaneous abortions (SABs) compared to baseline risk (42.5%1 vs. 13-17%2). Tocilizumab (TCZ) has been shown to have similar efficacy with or without MTX. There is currently limited data on the effect of TCZ on pregnancy, but with more safety data, TCZ could be an alternative for RA patients of reproductive age. The patients were enrolled at Embryotox Berlin, a pharmacovigilance center providing risk assessment during pregnancy, between 2011 and 2014 dur...

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Early changes in blood-based joint tissue destruction biomarkers are predictive of response to tocilizumab in the LITHE study

Arthritis Research & Therapy (2016) 18:13 DOI: 10.1186/s13075-015-0913-x

One of the major challenges of RA treatment is choosing the correct treatment and dose for the individual patient, as treatment response can be heterogeneous. To help select the appropriate treatment, there is a need for effective and non-invasive ways to monitor disease activity and progression. In the LITHE study, Bay-Jensen et al. investigate whether early biomarker measurements could predict early joint protection response to TCZ. The biomarkers (CRPM, VICM, C1M, C2M, C3M, and CTX-I/OC [bone...

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January 2016

Systematic review and meta-analysis of serious infections with tofacitinib and biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug treatment in rheumatoid arthritis clinical trials

Arthritis Res Ther. 2015 Dec 15;17(1):362

Tofacitinib is an oral Janus kinase inhibitor for the treatment of RA. By modulating the signalling of cytokines that are integral to lymphocyte activation, proliferation, and function, tofacitinib may suppress multiple elements of immune response. A systematic literature search including all biologics and tofacitinib procured 66 RCTs and 22 LTEs that were included in a meta-analysis to provide estimated incidence rates, risk ratios, and risk differences of serious infection for each therapy. Es...

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Cytokines in rheumatoid arthritis – shaping the immunological landscape

Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2016 Jan;12(1):63-8

Cytokine-mediated pathways are central to the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis and there has been great advances in understanding and clinical application in the last 20 years. McInnes and colleagues provide a timely and succinct overview the roles of cytokine families in the various phases and tissue compartments of this disease. They particularly review the combinatorial role played by cytokines in mediating the overlapping innate and adaptive immune responses associated with disease onset...

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