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.
September 2022
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.
February 2021
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...
April 2020
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 ...
July 2017
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...