As part of the GBD 2021, the authors provide updated estimates for the global burden of musculoskeletal disorders, excluding RA, osteoarthritis, low back pain, neck pain, and gout. In 2020, the total years lived with disability globally was estimated to be 42.7 million, which was a 122% increase from 1990. Over the same time period, mortality increased by 199%. The study forecasts an increase in cases by 2050 in all regions, with the exception of Central Europe.

Effects of 1-year Tofacitinib Therapy on Angiogenic Biomarkers in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatology (Oxford) 2023; 62(SI3):SI304–SI312 doi 10.1093/rheumatology/kead502

This study by Kerekes, et al. investigated the relationship between tofacitinib therapy, angiogenic biomarker levels, and vascular inflammation and function in RA patients. The authors found that tofacitinib treatment reduced the production of bFGF, PlGF and IL-6, which may inhibit synovial and aortic inflammation.

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The results of this study show that anti-IL-12/23, JAK inhibitors, and anti-TNF-α were associated with slightly higher risk of MACE compared with placebo. The risk was no different between biologic treatments, and the magnitude of risk did not differ between IMID type.

This study by Meissner, et al. estimated the effects of JAKi, TNFi, bDMARDs and csDMARDs on the risk of MACE in RA patients. The authors found no significant difference in MACE risk by treatment group, even among patients at increased CV risk.

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This retrospective inception cohort study investigated RA patients starting a new bDMARD or JAKi prescription between 01 August 2018 and 31 January 2022 from IQVIA’s Dutch Real-World Data Longitudinal Prescription database.

Real-world data from the PsABio study indicated that females with PsA had more severe disease than males before the initiation of treatment. While both genders experienced treatment related improvements, fewer females than males were able to achieve a favourable disease state within 12 months. Treatment discontinuation and switching were also higher in females than males, due to lower efficacy and adverse events.      

As part of the GBD 2021, the authors provide updated estimates for the global burden of RA. In 2020, approximately 17.6 million people worldwide had RA, with a 14.1% increase in prevalence since 1990. Mortality decreased by 23.8% from 1990 to 2020. The study forecasts an increase in cases to 31.7 million by 2050.

September 2023

In this post hoc analysis by Deoodhar, et al., the authors found that tofacitinib demonstrated greater efficacy than placebo in bDMARD-naïve and TNFi-IR AS patients. They also found that safety event rates for tofacitinib therapy were numerically higher in the TNFi-IR subgroup than the bDMARD-naïve subgroup.

The majority of patients receiving persistent risankizumab therapy achieved clear or clear/almost clear skin at 12 months and patients reported significant reductions in DLQI scores, PROs (fatigue, skin pain, overall itch), and work and activity impairment.

The efficacy and safety of updacitinib in bDMARD-IR patients with AS were sustained through to one year in an open-label extension of the SELECT-AXIS 2 study.

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