December 20
Smolen JS, Xie L, Jia B, Taylor PC, Burmester G, Tanaka Y, Elias A, Cardoso A, Ortmann R, Walls C, Dougados M.
Rheumatology 2020; doi:10.1093/rheumatology/keaa576
Three year follow up data for baricitinib demonstrated efficacy in populations that span the clinical disease continuum in RA, including DMARD-naïve, MTX-IR, csDMARD-IR, and bDMARD-IR and was well tolerated. This study evaluated achievement and maintenance of LDA, remission and physical functioning in patients treated with baricitinib for up to 3 years. Data were analysed from two 52-week, Phase 3 studies (RA-BEAM and RA-BEGIN), and one ongoing long-term extension (RA-BEYOND). Patients com...
November 20
Cohen SB, van Vollenhoven RF, Winthrop KL, Zerbini CAF, Tanaka Y, Bessette L, Zhang Y, Khan N, Hendrickson B, Enejosa JV, Burmester GR.
Ann Rheum Dis 2020 DOI:10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-218510
This integrated Phase III safety analysis of UPA showed that UPA had a similar profile to ADA and MTX for serious infections, malignancies, and thromboembolic events. Patients receiving UPA had increased risk of HZ and creatine phosphokinase elevation versus ADA. This integrated Phase III safety analysis of UPA examined >3500 RA patients and 4000 patient-years of exposure. Data were pooled from 3834 patients in SELECT-NEXT, SELECT-BEYOND, SELECT-MONOTHERAPY, SELECT-COMPARE and SELECT-EARLY s...
Keywords: JAK, Upadacitinib, Clinical, Safety
June 20
Emery P, Tanaka Y, Cardillo T, Schlichting D, Rooney T, Beattie S, Helt C, Smolen JS.
Arth Res Ther 2020;22:115 doi.org/10.1186/s13075-020-02199-8
This study aimed to characterize temporary interruptions of baricitinib and describe their impact on efficacy and safety. Brief interruptions during phase 3 baricitinib trials were associated with minor increases in symptoms which were resolved following treatment. In life-long, chronic conditions such as RA, interruption of therapy is common for various reasons, such as side effects, non-compliance, or because a patient requires surgery. Concerns have been raised that these treatment breaks c...
Keywords: JAK, Baricitinib, Clinical, Efficacy
January 20
Strand V, van der Heijde D, Tanaka Y, Keystone E, Kremer J, Zerbini C A F, Cardiel M H, Cohen S, Nash P, Song Y-W, Tegzová D, Gruben D, Wallenstein G, Connell C A, Fleischmann R.
Clin Exp Rheumatol . Sep-Oct 2020;38(5):848-857. Epub 2019 Dec 19.
In the ORAL SCAN study, patients receiving TOF 5 mg or 10 mg BID reported significant improvements in patient-reported outcomes at month 3 compared with placebo, which were maintained through 24 months of treatment. RA causes a significant health and socioeconomic burden and affects all aspects of health related quality of life. ORAL Scan included patients with active RA and inadequate response to MTX who were randomised to receive TOF 5 mg or 10 mg BID plus MTX or PBO. This study evaluated the ...
Keywords: JAK, Tofacitinib, Clinical, PRO
August 19
Takeuchi T, Tanaka Y, Tanaka S, Kawakami A, Iwasaki M, Katayama K, Rokuda M, Izutsu H, Ushijima S, Kaneko Y, Shiomi T, Yamada E, van der Heijde D.
Ann Rheum Dis 2019 DOI: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2019-215164
Peficitinib (PEF) 100 and 150 mg demonstrated robust clinical and structural efficacy in patients with RA who have an inadequate response to MTX. In Japan, two JAK inhibitors, TOF and BARI are currently available for RA patients with an inadequate response to conventional therapies. This randomized phase 3 study (RAJ4), assessed the efficacy and safety of two PEF doses in combination with MTX compared to PBO, in Japanese MTX-IR. Patients were randomized 1:1:1 to PBO, PEF 100 mg and 150 mg with...
Keywords: JAK, Peficitinib, Clinical, Phase 3
July 19
Tanaka Y, Fautrel B, Keystone EC, Ortmann RA, Xie L, Zhu B, Issa M, Patel H, Gaich CL, de Bono S, Rooney TP, Taylor PC.
Ann Rheum Dis. 2019 Jul;78(7):890-898.
Switching from ADA to BARI without a lengthy washout period can be executed with acceptable safety and tolerability and was associated with maintained disease control. Switching therapies in RA is commonplace in myriad scenarios including inadequate responses, intolerances and patient preference. Assessing the safety and efficacy of new treatments such as BARI, in the context of use as a replacement therapy, is beneficial. A previous study (RA-BEACON) has demonstrated that safely switching fro...
Keywords: JAK, Baricitinib, Clinical, Phase 3
June 19
Combe BG, Kivitiz AJ, Tanaka Y, van der Heijde D, Matzkies F, Bartok B, Ye L, Guo Y, Tasset C, Sundy JS, Mozaffarian N, Landewé RBM, Bae SC, Keystone EC, Nash P.
EULAR 2019 Abstract LB0001 Presentation
Filgotinib is an orally administered, selective inhibitor of JAK1. Filgotinib has shown good efficacy and was well tolerated for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Phase 2 studies.The objective of this Phase 3 study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of filgotinib treatment in patients with RA who have had an inadequate response to methotrexate (MTX).
Keywords: JAK, Filgotinib, Clinical, Phase 3
Smolen JS, Pangan AL, Emery P, Rigby W, Tanaka Y, Vargas JI, Zhang Y, Damjanov N, Friedman A, Othman AA, Camp HS, Cohen S.
Lancet. 2019 Jun 8;393(10188):2303-2311
UPA monotherapy showed statistically significant improvements in clinical and functional outcomes versus continuing MTX in MTX inadequate-responder patients with RA. Despite its proven effectiveness and safety, many patients are unable to tolerate MTX due to its side-effects. Therapies that can be used without concomitant MTX therefore, have an important place in RA management. In previous studies, UPA has shown efficacy in combination with stable background csDMARDs in RA patients who are DMA...
Keywords: JAK, Upadacitinib, Clinical, Efficacy
March 19
Harigai M, Takeuchi T, Smolen JS, Winthrop KL, Nishikawa A, Rooney TP, Saifan CG, Issa M, Isaka Y, Akashi N, Ishii T, Tanaka Y.
Mod Rheumatol. 2019 Feb 20:1-23. DOI: 10.1080/14397595.2019.1583711
In this integrated analysis, BARI showed an acceptable safety profile in Japanese patients with up to 3.2 years of exposure. Other than incidences of herpes zoster (HZ), no major differences were noted with BARI safety in Japanese patients with RA, compared to the patients in the integrated database. BARI has previously demonstrated significant clinical efficacy and acceptable safety. Japanese patients who participated in the BARI clinical development programme, were comparable to those from th...
Keywords: JAK, Baricitinib, Clinical, Safety
February 19
van der Heijde D, Strand V, Tanaka Y, Keystone E, Kremer J, Zerbini CAF, Cardiel MH, Stanley Cohen S, Nash P, Song YW, Tegzová D, Gruben D, Wallenstein G, Connell CA, Fleischmann R, ORAL Scan investigators.
Arthritis Rheumatol. 2019 Jun;71(6):878-891
RA patients receiving TOF 5 or 10 mg BID plus MTX showed sustained clinical and radiographic treatment effects through months 12-24. The safety profile was consistent with previous TOF studies. The 12-month data from the ORAL Scan study have been previously reported. This report assesses durability of responses, including structural damage progression, and safety with TOF through 24 months. Patients were randomized 4:4:1:1 to receive TOF 5 or 10 mg BID, or PBO advanced to TOF with stable, ba...
Keywords: JAK, Tofacitinib, Clinical, Safety
January 19
Tanaka Y, McInnes IB, Taylor PC, Byers NL, Chen L, de Bono S, Issa M, Macias WL, Rogai V, Rooney TP, Schlichting DE, Zuckerman SH, Emery P.
Arthritis Rheumatol. 2018 Dec;70(12):1923-1932. doi: 10.1002/art.40680
This review shows that changes in lymphocyte subsets were largely within normal reference ranges and were not associated with efficacy or safety end points. BARI is a selective JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor, approved for the treatment of moderate to severe RA. BARI treatment is associated with changes to circulating lymphocyte and lymphocyte subsets, however detailed analyses of these effects, and their relevance to efficacy and safety is lacking. This study investigated the changes in lymphocyte cell s...
Keywords: JAK, Baricitinib, Clinical, Safety
August 18
Kaneko Y, Kato M, Tanaka Y, Inoo M, Kobayashi-Haraoka H, Amano K, Miyata M, Murakawa Y, Yasuoka H, Hirata S, Tanaka E, Miyasaka N, Yamanaka H, Yamamoto K, Takeuchi T, the SURPRISE study group.
Ann Rheum Dis 2018; 77:1268–1275 DOI: 10.1093/rheumatology/key121
The second-year results from the SURPRISE study show that low disease activity (LDA) can be maintained after discontinuation of tocilizumab with continued methotrexate after remission is achieved. Discontinuation of biologic agents in patients who have achieved remission or low disease activity (LDA) is desirable from a risk–benefit point of view. Compared with TNF inhibitors, little is known regarding TCZ-free remission or LDA, but studies indicate that only a small proportion of patien...
Keywords: IL-6, Tocilizumab, Clinical, Efficacy
July 18
Scott IC, Hider SL, Scott DL.
Drug Safety 2018 Jul;41(7):645–53
Current data suggests that JAK inhibitors may increase the risk of thromboembolism and pulmonary thrombosis (PT) in RA. Two JAK inhibitors – baricitinib (BARI) and tofacitinib (TOF) – are considered effective treatments for RA, however, there are concerns about the thromboembolic risks associated with them. In August 2017, the summary of product characteristics for BARI was revised to include a warning of developing DVT and pulmonary embolism (PE), with recommendations that BARI sho...
Keywords: JAK, Baricitinib, Clinical, Safety
November 17
Winthrop KL, Curtis JR, Lindsey S, Tanaka Y, Yamaoka K, Valdez H, Hirose T, Nduaka CI, Wang L, Mendelsohn AM, Fan H, Chen C, Bananis E.
Arthritis Rheumatol 2017;69(10):1960–68
The results of this analysis of patients with herpes zoster (HZ) within the global tofacitinib (TOF) RA programme suggest that there is likely to be a greater HZ risk in patients receiving TOF and glucocorticoids compared with patients receiving TOF monotherapy. The global TOF RA development programme comprised 2 Phase 1, 9 Phase 2, 6 Phase 3 and 2 long-term extension studies. These studies included 6192 patients; data were reviewed to identify cases of HZ. Crude incidence rates of number of pa...
Keywords: JAK, Tofacitinib, Clinical, Safety
September 17
Keystone EC, Taylor PC, Tanaka Y, Gaich C, DeLozier AM, Dudek A, Velasco Zamora J, Covarrubias Cobos JA, Rooney T, de Bono S, Arora V, Linetzky B, Weinblatt ME.
Ann Rheum Dis 2017;76(11):1853-1861. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2017-211259
This paper describes the patient-reported outcome (PRO) data collected in RA-BEAM, a Phase 3 study of baricitinib compared with both placebo and adalimumab in patients with RA and an inadequate response to MTX. PRO measures evaluated include health-related quality of life (HRQOL), physical function, disability, fatigue, sleep, mental health status, work productivity and work activity impairment. The RA-BEAM study demonstrated that patients treated with baricitinib experienced a greater impro...
Keywords: JAK, Baricitinib, Clinical, PRO
July 17
Cohen BS, Tanaka Y, Mariette X, Curtis JR, Lee EB, Nash P, Winthrop KL, Charles-Shoeman C, Thirunavukkarasu K, DeMasi R, Geier J, Kwok K, Wang L, Riese R, Wollenhaupt J.
Ann Rheum Dis 2017;76:1253-1262. DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2016-210457
This analysis of exposure to tofacitinib, an oral JAKi for the treatment of RA, for up to 8.5 years allowed estimation of safety events with improved precision versus previous tofacitinib reports. Adverse events were generally stable over time; no new safety signals were observed compared with previous tofacitinib reports. Data were collated into an integrated safety summary of tofacitinib in adult patients with active RA, and included data spanning the tofacitinib clinical programme: from 2 P...
Keywords: JAK, Tofacitinib, Clinical, Safety
May 17
Kubo S, Yamaoka K, Amano K, Nagano S, Tohma S, Suematsu E, Nagasawa H, Iwata K and Tanaka Y.
Rheumatology. Doi 10.1093/rheumatology/kex068
This study showed that in patients who achieved low disease activity (LDA), it is possible to discontinue tofacitinib without flare in approximately one-third of patients. Patients from the tofacitinib Phase 3 programme and long-term extension study were enroled. Discontinuation was based on physician-patient decision making with informed consent. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients who remained tofacitinib free at post-treatment Week 52. Of 64 patients treated with tofacitin...
Keywords: JAK, Tofacitinib
March 17
Aletaha D, Bingham CO 3rd, Tanaka Y, Agarwal P, Kurrasch R, Tak PP and Popik S.
Lancet 2017;pii:S0140-6736(17)30401-4
In this Phase 3 multicentre, randomised controlled trial in patients with active RA who were refractory or intolerant to previous biological treatment with at least one TNF inhibitor, sirukumab 50 mg every four weeks (Q4W) or 100 mg every two weeks (Q2W) was well tolerated and significantly improved signs and symptoms of disease. Patients were randomised 1:1:1 to placebo (n=294), sirukumab 50 mg Q4W (n=292) or sirukumab 100 mg Q2W (n=292), while continuing any concomitant DMARDs. Of the 878 ran...
July 16
Tanaka Y, Emoto K, Cai Z, et al.
J Rheumatol. 2016;43(3):504–511.
Clinical trials have shown baricitinib once daily to be effective in patients with RA. However, this Janus kinase (JAK) 1/JAK2 inhibitor has not been evaluated in a Japanese population. In this 12-week, placebo-controlled study, 145 Japanese patients were enrolled and received placebo, 1 mg, 2 mg, 4 mg or 8 mg oral baricitinib daily. Efficacy results were encouraging and consistent with earlier trials. Significantly more baricitinib patients achieved ACR20 response at Week 12 of treatment compa...
Keywords: JAK, Baricitinib, Clinical, Phase 3
October 15
Takeuchi T, Tanaka Y, Yamanaka H, Amano K, Nagamine R, Park W, Shiozawa K, Tsukano M, Wei J, Shao J, Togo O, Mashimo H.
Modern Rheumatology. 2015 Sep 10:1-9. [Epub ahead of print]
This Phase II study assessed the safety and efficacy of olokizumab in Asian patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis, previously exposed to anti-TNF therapy. After 12 weeks of treatment, olokizumab was found to rapidly improve disease activity in patients who had previously failed anti-TNF therapy. There was also a significant decrease in ACR20 and ACR50 responder rates at week 12. The safety findings were consistent with the safety profile expected for this drug class. These findin...
Keywords: IL-6, Olokizumab, Clinical, Phase 2
Kubo S, Nakayamada S, Nakano K, Hirata S, Fukuyo S, Miyagawa I, Hanami K, Saito K, Tanaka Y.
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. 2015 Aug 5. doi:pii: annrheumdis-2015-207784. 10.1136/annrheumdis-2015-207784. [Epub ahead of print]
This study compared the clinical outcomes at one year after the treatment either abatacept or tocilizumab in routine clinical practice. This study employed propensity score matching and demonstrated that abatacept and tocilizumab had comparable continuing efficacies, and that treatment with the drugs resulted in comparable clinical and functional remission rates. Additionally, abatacept and tocilizumab showed similar effectiveness with or without MTX. While clinical efficacies, including SDAI,...
Keywords: IL-6, Tocilizumab, Clinical, Efficacy
September 15
Tanaka Y, Takeuchi T, Yamanaka H, Nakamura H, Toyoizumi S, Zwillich S.
Modern Rheumatology. 2015 Jul;25(4):514-21. doi: 10.3109/14397595.2014.995875.
The oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, Tofacitinib, preferentially inhibits signalling by heterodimeric receptors associated with JAK3 and/or JAK1, blocking signalling for several cytokines. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of tofacitinib monotherapy versus placebo in Japanese patients with inadequate response to disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Data on response rates – ACR20/50/70, DAS28-4(ESR), and HAQ-DI – laboratory parameters and adverse eve...
Keywords: JAK, Tofacitinib, Clinical, Phase 2
January 15
Tanaka Y, Takeuchi T, Yamanaka H, Nakamura H, Toyoizumi S, Zwillich S.
Mod Rheumatol. 2014 Dec 11:1–25. [Epub ahead of print]
In Japan, the biologic DMARDs infliximab, etanercept, adalimumab, golimumab and certolizumab pegol, as well as tocilizumab and abatacept are approved for use in patients with active RA and an inadequate response to existing therapies. However, not all patients respond to these therapies adequately, creating an unmet need for therapeutic options with alternative mechanisms of action. The oral JAK inhibitor tofacitinib has demonstrated efficacy as monotherapy or in combination with DMARDs for th...
Keywords: JAK, Tofacitinib, Clinical, Phase 2
June 13
van der Heijde D, Tanaka Y, Fleischmann R, et al.
Arthritis & Rheumatism 2013; 65(3):559-70
The ORAL Scan trial is one of six studies conducted as part of the phase 3 research programme for the oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor tofacitinib. This is the 12-month interim results published for the ORAL Scan study, a 24-month, phase 3 study that compared the effects of tofacitinib and placebo on structural preservation in patients with active RA despite methotrexate therapy. Patients were randomised to 5 or 10 mg tofacitinib twice daily or placebo, which was switched to 5 or 10 mg tofaciti...
Keywords: JAK, Tofacitinib, Clinical, Phase 3