Pacheco et al. demonstrated that, compared with axSpA patients who respond to secukinumab,  patients who do not respond show increased IL-17A-producing cells and have a more pronounced type 1 IFN signature, indicating a larger inflammatory burden.

Su et al. conducted a comprehensive systematic review and network meta-analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of therapies for difficult-to-treat (D2T) RA. They found that tocilizumab and rituximab had superior efficacy and safety profiles, with 8mg every 4 weeks of tocilizumab identified as the optimal therapeutic dose.

Peyrin-Biroulet et al. evaluated the efficacy and safety of etrasimod in patients with moderately to severely active isolated proctitis, demonstrating significant improvement in clinical outcomes compared to placebo. The study reported a favourable safety profile, making etrasimod a viable treatment option for this population.

July 2024

van Vollenhoven et al. compared the efficacy and safety of upadacitinib monotherapy to methotrexate monotherapy over five years in methotrexate-naïve patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The study found that upadacitinib provided better long-term efficacy and higher rates of disease activity remission than methotrexate; however, it was associated with higher incidences of adverse events, particularly at the higher dose of 30 mg.

Filgotinib (FIL) 200mg was associated with numerical reductions in the number of draining perianal fistulas based on combined clinical and MRI findings compared with placebo. Reinisch et al. reported a numerically higher proportion of patients achieving the primary endpoint of a combined fistula response and/or remission at Week 24 with FIL 200mg compared with placebo.

This post hoc analysis provides additional support for the utility of risankizumab therapy in patients with moderately to severely active CD. Investigators examined the efficacy of risankizumab for providing early symptom relief, along with the prognostic value of early symptom relief for achieving future clinical and endoscopic endpoints.

Patients classified as having a high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR-High) who received filgotinib 200mg + MTX/csDMARDs exhibited consistently better responses after 12 weeks across clinical trials, clinical endpoints, and PROs, compared with NLR-Low patients. Taylor et al. analysed data from the 3 FINCH trials to investigate the potential association of baseline NLR with improved clinical response to filgotinib in MTX-naïve or MTX-experienced RA populations.

Tofacitinib in acute severe ulcerative colitis (TACOS): A randomized controlled trial

Journal Reference: Am J Gastroenterol 2024;119:1365–72 doi: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000002635

A combination of tofacitinib and corticosteroids improved treatment responsiveness and decreased the need for rescue therapy in patients with acute severe ulcerative colitis (ASUC). Singh et al. investigated whether addition of tofacitinib to corticosteroids was superior to corticosteroids alone in patients hospitalised with ASUC.

June 2024

Deucravacitinib onset of action and maintenance of response in Phase 3 plaque psoriasis trials

J Dermatolog Treat 2024;35:2371045 doi: 10.1080/09546634.2024.2371045

The analysis of the POETYK PSO-1 and POETYK PSO-2 clinical trials showed that deucravacitinib 6mg QD displayed efficacy as early as 1 week, and clinical responses were maintained over 52 weeks in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.

Subcutaneous risankizumab maintenance therapy results in durable improvement in clinical and endoscopic outcomes over one year in patients with moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease. Endpoint achievement tended to be achieved in a higher proportion of patients treated with 360mg risankizumab than 160mg risankizumab, and both doses were higher when compared to placebo.