Effectiveness and Safety of Filgotinib in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Real-life Multicentre Experience

Clin Exp Rheumatol 2024 doi 10.55563/clinexprheumatol/k78ug3 Epub ahead of print

This real-world observational study by La Barbera, et al. confirms that filgotinib is efficacious and safe for use in the management of RA. The authors also report that improvements in clinical and laboratory features were greater in bDMARD-naïve patients with RA.

This pooled analysis of four Phase 3 RCTs investigated the long-term efficacy baricitinib in patients with active RA who were MTX-IR, csDMARD-IR, or bDMARD-IR. They found that baricitinib demonstrated efficacy up to 6.5 years and was well tolerated.

January 2024

This post hoc analysis by Curtis, et al. found that current and former smokers were more likely to switch from an anti-TNF bDMARD to a different bDMARD or JAK inhibitor in comparison to non-smokers. They also found that DAS28(CRP) ≤3.2 achievement was significantly higher after filgotinib therapy regardless of smoking status in MTX-IR, bDMARD-IR, and MTX-naïve patients.

December 2023

Rates of MACE and VTE events in patients with RA or PsA treated are consistent across 15 mg and 30 mg doses of upadacitinib, and comparable with active comparators adalimumab and MTX. Several risk factors were also identified for MACE and VTE events in patients with RA.

Rates of malignancy were similar between upadacitinib, adalimumab, and MTX. They were also consistent across RA, PsA, AS and nr-axSpA. A dose-dependent increased rate of NMSC was observed with upadacitinib in RA. For RA and PsA, being older (≥65 years) and male was associated with
an increased risk of malignancy excluding NMSC.

October 2023

Fleischmann, et al investigated the safety and efficacy of otilimab versus tofacitinib and placebo in RA patients treated with MTX (contRAst 1) or csDMARDs (contRAst 2). They found that while otilimab achieved the primary endpoint of ACR20 versus placebo in Week 12, it did not demonstrate non-inferiority to tofacitinib.

September 2023

The results of a Bayesian network meta-analysis by Lee and Song showed that JAK inhibitors were more likely to achieve remission and LDA in DMARD-naive RA patients than MTX. However, there were no significant differences in remission rates nor LDA rates between the JAK inhibitors investigated.

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July 2023

This single-centre study by Khan, et al. suggests that high-dose methotrexate (25 mg/week, subcutaneously) may be as efficacious as tofacitinib in patients with established RA who are DMARD naïve or have not received a therapeutic dose of DMARDs.

June 2023

JAK Inhibitors and the Risk of Malignancy: A Meta-analysis Across Disease Indications

Ann Rheum Dis. 2023;82(8):1059–1067 doi: 10.1136/ard-2023-224049

The objective of this study was to estimate the association of JAKi with the incidence of malignancy, compared with placebo, TNFi and MTX.

May 2023

Investigators from a phase 2 study concluded that further investigation with BMS-986142 (a novel BTK) in people with RA is not necessary.

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