Publications

Ozanimod as induction therapy and maintenance therapy for ulcerative colitis

N Engl J Med 2021;385:1280–91 doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2033617

Sandborn WJ,

Feagan BG,

D’Haens G,

Wolf DC,

Jovanovic I,

Hanauer SB,

Ghosh S,

Petersen A,

Hua SY,

Lee JH,

Charles L,

Chitkara D,

Usiskin K,

Colombel JF,

Laine L,

Danese S,

True North Study Group

Patients receiving ozanimod displayed a significant improvement in clinical response and all secondary endpoints during both the 10-week induction and 52-week maintenance study periods. Percentage of patients achieving clinical remission at Weeks 10 and 52 was the primary endpoint.

Keywords:

• Efficacy,
• GI,
• Phase 3,
• Safety

Bimekizumab versus adalimumab in plaque psoriasis

N Engl J Med 2021; 385:130–41. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2102388

Warren RB,

Blauvelt A,

Bagel J,

Papp KA,

Yamauchi P,

Armstrong A,

Langley RG,

Vanvoorden V,

De Cuyper D,

Cioffi C,

Peterson L,

Cross N,

Reich K

Bimekizumab was noninferior and superior to adalimumab with respect to PASI 90 response and IGA score at Week 16. Bimekizumab is a promising IL-17A/F inhibitor that has shown clinical improvement in PsO patients compared to placebo and other IL inhibitors. Warren et al. compared the safety and efficacy of bimekizumab with adalimumab in a 56-week double-blind trial.

Keywords:

• Bimekizumab,
• Efficacy,
• Phase 3,
• Safety,
• Skin

Highlights of 2021

Please click the links below to go to the CSF review of each paper

McInnes IB

I’m sure we’d all hoped that this year would be a return to normal but, in the midst of the challenges we’ve faced with COVID-19, the rheumatology community has continued to deliver excellent publications, and we’ve covered many of these on the CSF. Here are my highlights from 2021's publications: Points to Consider for the Treatment of Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases With Janus Kinase Inhibitors: A Co...

Keywords:

• Review

Integrated safety analysis of filgotinib in patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis receiving treatment over a median of 1.6 years

Ann Rheum Dis. 2021. Epub ahead of print. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-221051

Winthrop KL,

Tanaka Y,

Takeuchi T,

Kivitz A,

Matzkies F,

Genovese MC,

Jiang D,

Chen K,

Bartok B,

Jahreis A,

Besuyen R,

Burmester GR,

Gottenberg JE

Integrated analysis evaluates the safety of filgotinib among patients with RA treated for a median of 1.6 years.Winthrop, et al. analysed data from seven trials, including long-term extension studies, and found that rates of TEAEs, grade ≥3 TEAEs, serious TEAEs and TEAEs leading to study drug discontinuation were comparable for filgotinib and placebo. In addition, analysis of AEs of special interest showed a generally similar incidence for filgotinib 200 mg and 100 mg....

Keywords:

• JAK,
• Fenebrutinib,
• Safety,
• Review

Safety of baricitinib for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis over a median of 4.6 and up to 9.3 years of treatment: final results from long-term extension study and integrated database

Ann Rheum Dis. 2021. Epub ahead of print. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-221276.

Taylor PC,

Takeuchi T,

Burmester GR,

Durez P,

Smolen JS,

Deberdt W,

Issa M,

Terres JR,

Bello N,

Winthrop KL

Analysis of data from the highest level of patient exposure to baricitinib across the spectrum of the RA population demonstrates that baricitinib maintained a similar safety profile to earlier analyses, with no new safety signals identified.Using integrated data from nine randomised controlled trials, Taylor, et al. assessed the safety of baricitinib 2 mg and 4 mg once-daily. Analysis of data from 3770 patients (median 4.6 years, up to 9.3 years) with active RA showed that baricitinib maintained...

Keywords:

• JAK,
• Baricitinib,
• Safety,
• LTE

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.

McInnes IB,

Szekanecz Z,

McGonagle D,

Maksymowych WP,

Pfeil A,

Lippe R,

Song IH,

Lertratanakul A,

Sornasse T,

Biljan A,

Deodhar A

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:

• JAK,
• Basic Science,
• Review

Radiographic progression of structural joint damage over 5 years of baricitinib treatment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: Results from RA-BEYOND

J Rheumatol. 2021 Sep 15:jrheum.210346.

van der Heijde D,

Kartman CE,

Xie L,

Beattie S,

Schlichting D,

Mo D,

Durez P,

Tanaka Y,

Fleischmann R.

Oral baricitinib maintained lower levels of radiographic progression than initial csDMARD or placebo through 5 years in patients with active RA.It is well known that persistent joint inflammation in RA can lead to irreversible structural damage that impacts on patient physical function and quality-of-life. To this end, van der Heijde, et al. evaluated the effect of baricitinib on inhibiting radiographic progression of structural joint damage over 5 years in patients with active RA. Results from ...

Keywords:

• JAK,
• Baricitinib,
• LTE,
• Efficacy,
• Radiographic

Efficacy and safety of tofacitinib versus baricitinib in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in real clinical practice: analyses with propensity score-based inverse probability of treatment weighting

Ann Rheum Dis. 2021;80(9):1130-1136

Miyazaki Y,

Nakano K,

Nakayamada S,

Kubo S,

Inoue Y,

Fujino Y,

Tanaka Y.

Propensity score-based inverse probability of treatment weighting shows that efficacy may differ between tofacitinib and baricitinib. Miyazaki, et al. compared the efficacy and safety of the two JAK inhibitors in real-world clinical practice, after reduction to a minimum of the selection bias, using propensity score-based inverse probability of treatment weighting, and adjustment for confounding patient characteristics. They found that tofacitinib may be less effective in patients resistant to m...

Keywords:

• JAK,
• Baricitinib,
• Efficacy,
• Safety,
• Real-World

Reactivation of hepatitis B virus infection in patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving tofacitinib

Int J Rheum Dis. 2021. Epub ahead of print

Wang ST,

Tseng CW,

Hsu CW,

Tung CH,

Huang KY,

Lu MC,

Lai NS.

Tofacitinib could induce Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation in RA patients.With previous studies having already demonstrated that RA patients using biologic agents, might experience HBV reactivation leading to acute hepatitis, hyperbilirubinemia, and death, Wang, et al. aimed to investigate HBV reactivation in patients with RA receiving tofacitinib. They found that Hepatitis B surface antigen positive patients receiving tofacitinib have a high incidence rate of HBV reactivation, which could be...

Keywords:

• JAK,
• Tofacitinib,
• Safety,
• Infections

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

Redeker I,

Albrecht K,

Kekow J,

Burmester GR,

Braun J,

Schäfer M,

Zink A,

Strangfeld A

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:

• Safety,
• Infections,
• Review