June 2022

Comparison of drug retention of TNF inhibitors, other biologics and JAK inhibitors in RA patients who discontinued JAK inhibitor therapy

Rheumatology (Oxford) 2022 doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keac285

Real-world population-based study shows that a switch to a second JAKinib results in a higher drug retention, as compared to switching to a TNFi, in patients with RA who discontinue original JAKinib therapy.

Keywords:

Ixekizumab in radiographic axial spondyloarthritis with and without elevated C-reactive protein or positive magnetic resonance imaging

Rheumatology Expert, 2022 DOI: 10.1093/rheumatology/keac104

Maksymowych et al., evaluated the efficacy of Ixekizumab in patients with radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (r-axSpA) with and without objective measures of inflammation.

Keywords:

Effects of anti-TNF-therapy on inflammatory, structural and osteoblastic activity lesions in radiographic axial spondyloarthritis - a prospective proof-of-concept study using PET/MRI of SIJ and spine

Arthritis Rheumatol. 2022 doi: 10.1002/art.42149

Bruckmann et al carried out this observational, proof of concept study to analyse the effect anti-TNF-therapy (TNFi) on inflammatory, structural, and osteoblastic activity lesions in radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (r-axSpA).  

Keywords:

May 2022

Risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in patients initiating biologics/apremilast for psoriatic arthritis: a nationwide cohort study

doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keab522

Pina Vegas and her colleagues sought to assess the relative risk of MACEs in patients with PsA initiating bDMARDs or apremilast. They found that overall, the data produced overall a positive picture regarding the incidence of MACE in treatment.

Keywords:

March 2022

The effect of secukinumab on patient-reported outcomes in patients with active psoriatic arthritis in a randomised phase 3 trial

Lancet. 2022. Epub ahead of print

Predefined analysis of FUTURE 5, the largest Phase 3 randomised trial of secukinumab in patients with PsA to date, demonstrates that secukinumab results in early, statistically significant, clinically meaningful, sustained improvements in PROs across all doses, compared with placebo.The fully human anti-interleukin 17A monoclonal antibody, secukinumab has shown clinical and radiographical efficacy in patients with PsA, yet the clinical significance of improvements across a wide variety of PROs r...

Keywords:

Baricitinib further enhances disease-modifying effects by uncoupling the link between disease activity and joint structural progression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Ann Rheum Dis. 2022. Epub ahead of print doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-221323

Baricitinib reduces structural damage progression versus placebo with background MTX and/or MTX, even in patients with moderate or high disease activity.In patients with RA, TNFi, IL-6i and rituximab have been shown to uncouple the link between disease activity and radiographic progression such that patients are protected from structural damage progression even if remission/low disease activity is not achieved.As such, Lopez-Romero, et al. aimed to evaluate if baricitinib further enhances diseas...

Keywords:

February 2022

Tofacitinib and risk of cardiovascular outcomes: results from the Safety of Tofacitinib in Routine care patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (STAR-RA) study

Ann Rheum Dis. 2022 Jan 13. Epub ahead of print doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-221915

Real-world evidence finds no increased risk of CV outcomes with tofacitinib, in comparison with TNFi, in patients with RA. However, an elevated risk of CV outcomes cannot be ruled out in patients with CV risk factors or history of CVD.Recent post-marketing findings from the ‘ORAL Surveillance’ trial have raised concerns that tofacitinib, in comparison with TNFi, may increase the risk of CV disease in patients with RA who are at least 50 years of age and with at least one risk factor for CVD. To ...

Keywords:

Cardiovascular and Cancer Risk With Tofacitinib in Rheumatoid Arthritis

N Engl J Med 2022;386:316–26. doi: 10.1056/NEJMc2202778

In this paper, Ytterberg et al. compare incidence of MACE and cancers (excluding NMSC) with tofacitinib 5 mg BID, tofacitinib 10 mg BID and TNFi. They found that risk of MACE and cancer were higher with tofacitinib versus TNFi, and did not meet noninferiority criteria.This prospective head-to-head safety trial compared tofacitinib to TNFi, and was required by the FDA after increases in lipid levels and cancers were observed during tofacitinib drug development. ...

Keywords:

November 2021

A review of JAK-STAT signalling in the pathogenesis of spondyloarthritis and the role of JAK inhibition

Rheumatology (Oxford). 2021. Epub ahead of print. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keab740.

JAK inhibitors are likely to become an important part of the overall treatment paradigm for spondyloarthritis (SpA).Although not fully understood, the pathogenesis of SpA is complex and thought to involve both environmental and genetic factors that together elicit a chronic inflammatory response involving the innate and adaptive immune systems. Several different cytokines, TNF, IL-17A, IL-12/23 and IL-23, which are directly/indirectly affected by JAK molecules, are involved in the pathogenesis o...

Keywords:

October 2021

Risk of herpes zoster (shingles) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis under biologic, targeted synthetic and conventional synthetic DMARD treatment: data from the German RABBIT register

Ann Rheum Dis. 2021 Jul 28:annrheumdis-2021-220651

A 3.6-fold increased risk of herpes zoster (HZ) is associated with tsDMARDs, and an increased risk is associated with bDMARDs, compared with csDMARDs. It is now well known that patients with RA have an increased risk of developing herpes zoster (HZ), and that incidence rates appear to be increased with TNF and JAK inhibitors. To this end, Redeker, et al. used data from the German RABBIT Registry to compare event and incidence rates of HZ in patients with RA treated with the three different DMAR...

Keywords: