Effective second‑line b/tsDMARDs for patients with rheumatoid arthritis unresponsive to first‑line b/tsDMARDs from the FIRST registry
Rheumatol Ther 2025. Epub ahead of print doi: 10.1007/s40744-025-00747-9
Kanda et al. investigated the efficacy of second-line b/tsDMARDs in RA patients unresponsive to first-line b/tsDMARDs. Using data from the FIRST registry, the study assessed 687 patients with RA treated with TNFis, IL-6 receptor inhibitors, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 immunoglobulin, or JAKis. After propensity score-based adjustment, JAKi showed the highest persistence rate, greatest improvement in CDAI, and highest remission rates at 24 weeks. Among JAKi, UPA was most effective in achieving remission, with a safety profile comparable to other b/tsDMARDs.