In phase 3 clinical trial, upadacitnib proved superior to placebo and adalimumab in improving the signs and symptoms of RA in patients on stable background methotrexate.
An ACR COVID-19 Vaccine task force examined vaccine data and literature to evaluate COVID-19 vaccine safety, efficacy and interaction with medications for patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, and to craft a living guidance document for members.
(Reuters Health)—A once-daily 15 mg dose of upadacitinib for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has similar rates of malignancies, serious infections, major adverse cardiovascular events, and venous thromboembolic events as other Janus kinase inhibitors (jakinibs), results from phase 3 clinical trials suggest. Researchers examined data on treatment emergent adverse events among patients taking upadacitinib in five randomized…
ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—In many ways, the current plethora of treatment options for rheumatoid arthritis patients represents an embarrassment of riches. However, while many therapeutics approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) are available, knowing the order in which to try these medications with patients can be quite challenging. In The Great Debate, held…
This summer, the FDA rejected a new drug application for filgotinib to treat RA in the U.S., but a European Medicines Agency committee issued a positive opinion, moving filgotinib closer to authorized use in the E.U.
SNOWMASS VILLAGE, COLO.—Current trends in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) therapy are the increased use of newer medication categories, such as Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors (Jakinibs) and biologics, and the rising costs of treatment. Unchanged is the consistent use of methotrexate as an effective therapy. These topics and more were discussed at the ACR Winter Symposium during…
SNOWMASS VILLAGE, COLO.—Janus kinase inhibitors—or Jakinibs—are a relatively new class of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) that perform well and have a safety profile comparable to biologics. This group of drugs was the subject of The New Frontier: Comparative Safety of JAK Inhibitors, a presentation given at the ACR Winter Symposium by Kevin L. Winthrop, MD,…
Two new studies delving into the relative safety of biologic drugs prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have concluded that real-world applications of abatacept and tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi’s) are comparable to more conventional therapies in their associated risk of serious infections. Triple Therapy One study, in Arthritis Care & Research, found the risk of…