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.
Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with conventional, targeted and biological disease‑modifying antirheumatic drugs in the setting of liver injury and non‑alcoholic fatty liver disease
Rheumatol Int. 2022 doi: 10.1007/s00296-022-05143-y
An increased incidence of liver diseases emphasizes greater caution in prescribing antirheumatic drugs, owing to their hepatotoxicity. However, drug-induced liver injury (DILI) in RA patients represents an aetiological and therapeutic challenge, due to the intertwining of inflammatory and metabolic elements mediated by IL-6 and TNF-α.
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Short- and longer-term cancer risks with biologic and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs as used against rheumatoid arthritis in clinical practice
Rheumatology (Oxford) 2022 doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keab570
Observational, nationwide cohort study finds no increased risk for cancer overall in RA patients treated with TNFis, anti-CD20 or anti-IL6.
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
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...
Real‑world evaluation of effectiveness, persistence, and usage patterns of monotherapy and combination therapy tofacitinib in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in Australia
Clin Rheumatol. 2021. Epub ahead of print doi: 10.1007/s10067-021-05853-x
Real-world evidence suggests that monotherapy and combination therapy tofacitinib is an effective intervention in RA with persistence and effectiveness comparable to bDMARDs. Despite recommendations from EULAR that bDMARDs and tsDMARDs be used in combination with csDMARDs for the treatment of RA, it is estimated that up to a third of patients take their medication as monotherapy.This post hoc analysis of data from the Australian OPAL study by Bird, et al. aimed to describe the real-world effecti...
Associations of baseline use of biologic or targeted synthetic DMARDs with COVID-19 severity in rheumatoid arthritis: Results from the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance physician registry
Ann Rheum Dis. 2021 May 28. DOI: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-220418
Results from the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance physician registry show that people with RA using rituximab or JAKi, at COVID-19 onset, are more likely to experience poor COVID-19 outcomes, ranging from hospitalisation to death, compared with use of TNFi.The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on people with RA, many of whom are treated with b/tsDMARDs. To help address some of the knowledge gaps around the influence of b/tsDMARDs on COVID-19 outcomes, Sparks, et al. ana...
Comparative effectiveness of first-line tumour necrosis factor inhibitor versus non-tumour necrosis factor inhibitor biologics and targeted synthetic agents in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: results from a large US registry study
Ann Rheum Dis 2021;80:96–102.
RA treatment guidelines recommend a treat-to-target approach guided by disease stage and treatment history, yet the optimal sequence of different treatment modalities has not been established. Data from Corrona – were used to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of TNFi versus non-TNFi bDMARDs and tsDMARDs as first-line treatment following csDMARD failure. Results support RA guidelines recommending individualised care based on clinical judgement and consideration of patient preference.The stud...
Safety of synthetic and biological DMARDs: a systematic literature review informing the 2019 update of the EULAR recommendations for the management of rheumatoid arthritis
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2020;79:760-770
This SLR informed the 2019 EULAR taskforce updating recommendations for RA management. Overall, no new safety signals were reported. The known safety profile of bDMARDs was confirmed and extended to tsDMARDS. IL-6i associated lower intestinal perforation has been further confirmed, while VTE and PE concerns in JAKi treatment need further evaluation.Previous updates for the EULAR recommendations on RA pharmacological management were conducted in 2016. In this SLR safety of csDMARDs, tsDMARDs, and...
EULAR Recommendations for the Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis – 2019 Update and Consensus Statement on JAKinibs
Ann Rheum Dis. 2020 Jan 22. pii: annrheumdis-2019-216655.
The EULAR recommendations for the management of RA have become increasingly useful in providing rheumatologists, patients, payers and other stakeholders with the evidence-based guidance and views of experts on the optimal use and sequence of pharmaceutical therapies in patients with RA. Over the course of the last decade, the evolution of the treatment landscape has already required two updates. The release of the new addition updates the 2016 recommendations.An international task force consider...
Tuberculosis, Hepatitis B and Herpes Zoster in Tofacitinib-Treated Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis
Immunotherapy. 2019 Mar;11(4):321-333.
The risk of TB and hepatitis B virus (HBV) appears to be no greater with TOF than with bDMARDs. Most cases of TB during TOF studies occurred in regions with high background rate of TB, including east Asian countries. TOF is also associated with a higher rate of herpes zoster (HZ) compared with bDMARDs. DMARDs used to treat RA can increase the risk of infections by causing a degree of immunosuppression. A range of bacterial and viral infections have been observed in association with DMARD therapy...
Network Meta‐Analysis of Tofacitinib versus Biologic Treatments in Moderate‐to‐Severe Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients
J Clin Pharm Ther. 2019 Jun;44(3):384-396.
This study suggests that many bDMARDs and tsDMARDs can be considered equivalent therapeutic alternatives in bDMARD-naïve RA patients, with inadequate response to csDMARDs.In the absence of randomised controlled trials comparing drugs, indirect comparisons and network meta-analysis may provide information to help select an optimal treatment alternative. In this network meta-analysis, 27 randomized controlled trials were analysed to assess the possibility that some drugs on the market may be consi...