Publications

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

Safety and efficacy of baricitinib at 24 weeks in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who have had an inadequate response to methotrexate

Ann Rheum Dis. 2015;74(2):333–340

Keystone EC,

Taylor PC,

Drescher E,

Schlichting DE,

Beattie SD,

Berclaz PY,

Lee CH,

Fidelus-Gort RK,

Luchi ME,

Rooney TP,

Macias WL,

Genovese MC.

Recent innovations in the treatment of RA have focused on the use of small molecules to inhibit intracellular kinases such as the JAK family. Baricitinib (LY3009104, formerly INCB028050) is an orally administered, potent, selective and reversible inhibitor of JAK1 and JAK2, which has shown anti-inflammatory effects, as well as preservation of cartilage and bone, in preclinical rodent studies.

This phase IIb study was designed to investigate multiple doses and dosing regimens of baricitin...

Keywords:

• JAK,
• Baricitinib,
• Phase 2

Lipid profile changes in patients with chronic inflammatory arthritis treated with biologics and tofacitinib in randomized clinical trials: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Arthritis Rheumatol. 2015;67(1):117–127

Souto A,

Salgado E,

Maneiro JR,

Mera A,

Carmona L,

Gómez-Reino JJ

Systemic inflammation, reflected by high levels of C-reactive protein and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, has been identified as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the most important cause of death in RA and SpA. Studies with TNF antagonists have given contradictory results on cardiovascular risk. As such, this systemic literature search aimed to analyse lipid changes in RA and SpA subjects treated with biologics or tofacitinib in randomized clinical trials.

The s...

Keywords:

• JAK,
• Tofacitinib,
• Safety,
• Cardiovascular

Tofacitinib with methotrexate in third-line treatment of patients with active rheumatoid arthritis: Patient-reported outcomes from a Phase 3 trial

Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2014 Sep 3. doi: 10.1002/acr.22453. [Epub ahead of print]

Strand V,

Burmester GR,

Zerbini CA,

Mebus CA,

Zwillich SH,

Gruben D,

Wallenstein GV

For many patients with rheumatoid arthritis, improvements in pain, physical function, fatigue, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are more important and meaningful than improvements in joint swelling, tenderness, or inhibition of structural damage. These patient-perceived benefits of RA therapy contribute importantly to overall clinical efficacy.

This paper presents patient-reported outcomes (PROs) form the ORAL Step trail, which assessed tofacitinib 5 mg or 10 mg twice daily, or ...

Keywords:

• JAK,
• Tofacitinib,
• Phase 3

Changes in serum creatinine in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis treated with tofacitinib: results from clinical trials

Arthritis Res Ther. 2014;16(4):R158

Isaacs JD,

Zuckerman A,

Krishnaswami S,

et al.

Despite preclinical and healthy volunteer studies of tofacitinib showing no evidence of nephrotoxicity, increases in mean serum creatinine levels have been observed in patients treated with the drug during the RA clinical development programme. This report explores the clinical significance of this change.

Serum creatinine values and renal adverse event data were pooled from patients who received =1 dose of tofacitinib either with background DMARDs or as monotherapy in five Phase 3 studie...

Keywords:

• JAK,
• Tofacitinib,
• Safety,
• Renal

Analysis of Infections and All-Cause Mortality in Phase II, III and Long-Term Extension Studies of Tofacitinib in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Arthritis Rheumatol. 2014;66(11):2924–2937

Cohen S,

Radominski SC,

Gomez-Reino JJ,

et al.

This study pools data from the global tofacitinib RA development programme (phase II, phase III and long-term extension studies) to determine the rate of infections and all-cause mortality with tofacitinib treatment. In total, 4,789 patients within these studies received tofacitinib, at varying doses and with varying duration.

The overall incidence rate of serious infections was 3.09 events/100 patient-years (95% CI 2.73–3.49), which was stable over time, with pneumonia and skin and soft...

Keywords:

• JAK,
• Tofacitinib,
• Safety,
• Phase 3,
• LTE,
• Mortality,
• Infections

Rheumatoid arthritis pathophysiology: update on emerging cytokine and cytokine-associated cell targets

Rheumatology doi:10.1093/rheumatology/ket414

Furst DE and Emery P

Despite biologic therapies greatly improving the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, many patients do not respond to current treatments or do not maintain response to these treatments. This review covers the evidence for the newly discovered role of Th17 cells, IL-12 and IL-17 family of cytokines in the pathogenesis of RA as well as the development of new therapies targeting these cytokines. With current biologics targeting cytokines such as TNF, IL-1ß and IL-6, the discovery of the Th17 subset o...

Keywords:

• MOA,
• Review