Publications
View and download slide summaries of the latest original articles focusing on cytokine signalling therapies within rheumatoid arthritis. All materials produced by the CSF team are subsequently reviewed and approved by individual Steering Committee members.
Differential Properties of Janus Kinase Inhibitors in the Treatment of Immune-mediated Inflammatory Diseases
Rheumatology (Oxford) 2023 doi 10.1093/rheumatology/kead448 Epub ahead of print
JAKis differ in structure, which affects their inhibitory concentration for different JAKs.
This review by Taylor, et al. compares the pharmacological profiles of JAKis, including abrocitinib, baricitinib, filgotinib, peficitinib, tofacitinib, and upadacitinib.
A JAK Inhibitor for Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Baricitinib Experience
J. Clin. Med. 2023;12(13):4527 doi 10.3390/jcm12134527
This review by Taylor, et al. reviews the long-term safety and efficacy data for baricitinib. Results from several studies showed that baricitinib has greater efficacy and survival compared to TNF inhibitors, and that the rate of CDAI <10 for baricitinib-treated RA patients increased over the course of seven years. Data also showed that remission rates were higher in real-world evidence than in RCTs.
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Consensus statement on blocking interleukin-6 receptor and interleukin-6 in inflammatory conditions: an update
doi: 10.1136/ard-2022-222784.
Blocking the IL-6R is a major therapeutic advance for many diseases in adults and children. Updated consensus statement provides guidance to rheumatologists and other experts, as well as patients and administrators, on managing patients with the use of drugs blocking the IL-6 pathway.
The JAK/STAT Pathway: A Focus on Pain in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2021 Feb;51(1):278-284
Many cytokines associated with RA pathogenesis and pain are affected directly or indirectly by the JAK/STAT pathway, therapeutic targeting may offer promise. Having better understanding of these mechanisms can help clinicians make treatment decisions that optimise the control of inflammation and pain. However, pain in patients with RA is complex and involves multiple driving mechanisms that may differentially occur over time in different people. Although one known constant is that nociceptive ac...
Long-term Effectiveness of Live Herpes Zoster Vaccine in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Subsequently Treated with Tofacitinib
Ann Rheum Dis. 2020 10.1136/annrheumdis-2019-216566
The results of ORAL Sequel suggest that the live zoster vaccine (LZV) may not provide adequate long-term protection in patients with RA receiving TOF. This LTE study enrolled 100 patients with RA, 14 weeks post LZV vaccination. Patients received either TOF 5 mg BID, or TOF 10 mg BID in addition to any background csDMARDs. Incidence rates and 95% CIs for HZ post-vaccination were calculated based on time to first event. Short-term varicella zoster vaccine (VZV) specific immunity was evaluated at ...
Professor Iain McInnes Reviews the Most Notable Papers from 2018
Please click the links below to go to the CSF review of each paper
2018 brought a wealth of new data in cytokine signalling and IL-6 that helps inform current clinical practice and brings the promise of new options in the future. There was good data on the use of sub cutaneous tocilizumab as well as strategies in early RA and for methotrexate tapering. For the currently marketed JAK inhibitors, tofacitinib and baricitinib, continuous long-term efficacy and safety data further support its current use and applications. On the development side, the outcomes of the...
Evaluation of the Short-, Mid-, and Long-term Effects of Tofacitinib on Lymphocytes in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis
Arthritis Rheumatol 2018 DOI: 10. 1002/art.40780
Tofacitinib (TOF) treatment is associated with short-term transient increases in absolute lymphocyte counts (ALC), followed by a gradual decline to reach steady state by ~48 months. Changes in both ALC and lymphocyte subset counts (LSC) were reversible upon TOF discontinuation. Low ALC but not LSC were associated with an increased risk of serious infective episodes (SIEs) and herpes zoster (HZ). This data supported the treatment recommendations on ALC counts for starting and continuing therapy w...
Subcutaneous Tocilizumab in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Findings from the Common-framework Phase 4 Study Programme TOZURA Conducted in 22 Countries
Rheumatology (Oxford). 2018 Mar 1;57(3):499-507. DOI: 10.1093/rheumatology/kex443
This multi-national TOZURA study programme confirmed the efficacy and safety profile of subcutaneous tocilizumab (TC-SC) when administered as either monotherapy or in combination with csDMARDs. TOZURA was a Phase 4 study programme that evaluated open-label, TCZ-SC in patients with moderate-to-severe RA. A total of 1804 patients with active RA were enrolled in the study programme. Patients had inadequate responses to csDMARDs, anti-TNF therapies, or they were MTX-naïve. TCZ-SC was administered we...
The Safety and Immunogenicity of Live Zoster Vaccination in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Before Starting Tofacitinib: A Randomized Phase II Trial
Arthritis Rheumatol. 2017 Oct;69(10):1969-1977. doi: 10.1002/art.40187
Patients with RA who started treatment with tofacitinib 2–3 weeks after being vaccinated against herpes zoster had similar varicella zoster virus (VZV)-specific humoral and cell-mediated responses to the live vaccine compared to patients who received placebo.In this Phase 2 study, humoral and cell-mediated immune responses were evaluated before receipt of live zoster vaccine (LZV) and at 2, 6 and 14 weeks after vaccination, having been randomised to tofacitinib 5 mg BID or placebo, 2–3 weeks aft...
Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis with Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor or Tocilizumab Therapy as First Biologic in a Global Comparative observational Study
Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2017 Oct;69(10):1484-1494. doi: 10.1002/acr.23303
To date, the comparative efficacy of tocilizumab and TNFi for patients with RA has only been investigated in a single head-to-head trial and network meta-analyses. This study, ACT-iON, is the first prospective, large-scale, global, multicentre, comparative effectiveness study comparing initiation of intravenous tocilizumab with initiation of a TNFi in patients with RA as the first-line biologic treatment after inadequate response to csDMARDs. Patients were observed in a real-world, clinical pra...