Over the past few years, biosimilars and other new drugs have been introduced to treat rheumatic illnesses. Some of the conditions we treat have numerous drug options, others have few or only off-label options. This series, “Rheumatology Drugs at a Glance,” provides streamlined information on the administration of biologic, biosimilar and small molecule inhibitor drugs…
Baricitinib: Early vs. Late Treatment Outcomes in RA Patients
Recent research found that RA patients who began treatment with baricitinib experienced greater improvement from baseline than patients who began treatment with methotrexate…
The Rescue: Moving RA Patients from Adalimumab to Baricitinib
The phase 3, RA-BEAM study found RA patients who were switched from adalimumab to baricitinib experienced improvements in disease control even in the absence of an adalimumab washout. In the study, the change was not associated with an increase in adverse events or infections…
Long-Term Data Show Baricitinib Is Safe & Effective for RA
Data from multiple clinical trials and an extension study showed baricitinib is safe and effective for the long-term treatment of adults with RA…
Phase 2 Trial Results Suggest Baricitinib Is Effective for SLE
A recent study found that baricitinib improved symptoms of arthritis and rash in patients with active SLE, while maintaining a safety profile consistent with previous findings…
FDA Approves Baricitinib for RA Patients
The FDA has approved baricitinib in a 2 mg tablet dose to treat patients with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis…
Lilly’s Lupus Treatment Succeeds in Mid-Stage Trial
(Reuters)—Eli Lilly & Co said its drug to treat autoimmune disease lupus met the main goal of a mid-stage trial, positioning the drugmaker to begin a bigger study later this year. The data come two weeks after U.S. health regulators approved the drug, baricitinib, under the trade name Olumiant, with a far more restrictive label…
FDA Update: Committee Recommends 2 mg Baricitinib Approval; HLH Identified as Serious Adverse Event for Lamotrigine
The FDA Arthritis Advisory Committee has recommended the approval of 2 mg baricitinib (but not in a 4 mg dose) for treating adults with moderate to severe active RA…
FDA Staff Raises Safety Concerns Over Arthritis Drug Baricitinib
(Reuters)—An experimental rheumatoid arthritis drug developed by Eli Lilly and Co. and Incyte Corp. poses serious risks of deadly blood clots at higher doses, U.S. Food and Drug Administration staff says, the latest setback to a treatment regulators declined to approve last year. New data provided by the companies in a resubmission of their marketing…
Baricitinib Appears Effective in Biologic-Refractory RA
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The selective Janus kinase 1 and 2 inhibitor baricitinib appears also to help patients whose rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has not responded adequately to biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, according to results from the RA-BEACON randomized trial. The previously published overall results from RA-BEACON showed that baricitinib-treated patients had significantly better functional and clinical…