In a nutshell
This study investigated the long-term safety and effectiveness of peficitinib (Smyraf) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). They found that this treatment lowered disease activity (DA) and was well tolerated.
Some background
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic auto-immune disease. Excessive inflammation causes painful swelling in the joints. The aim of RA treatment is to reduce disease activity (DA). Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are used to treat RA. Some DMARDs target a number of inflammatory pathways. These are called synthetic. Other DMARDs are biological. These bDMARDs target specific proteins or receptors that contribute to inflammation.
New drug targets for RA are under investigation. One of these targets is Janus kinase (JAK). JAK inhibitors reduce cells and chemicals that cause inflammation. Peficitinib is a new JAK inhibitor. It has been shown to reduce DA in clinical trials for 52 weeks. However, it is unclear if peficitinib is safe and effective for long-term use in RA.
Methods & findings
This study included 843 patients with RA. Peficitinib was taken orally once daily. The dose of peficitinib was 50, 100 or 150 mg. DA was measured using the ACR20/50/70 score. This measures the number of patients that have a reduction in DA by 20, 50 or 70%. Side effects were also assessed.
The average treatment time was 22.7 months. Most patients were treated with 100 mg PFC (66.5%). At the end of the study, the ACR20 was 78.9%, the ACR50 was 52.1% and the ACR70 was 34.7%.
6.5% of patients stopped taking peficitinib due to side effects. Side effects were generally mild in severity. The most frequent events were common cold and herpes zoster infection.
The bottom line
The authors concluded that peficitinib lowered DA in the long-term and was well tolerated.
The fine print
This study was conducted in Asian countries. The long-term safety and effectiveness may be different in other ethnicities. The study was funded by Astellas Pharma, the manufacturer of peficitinib.
What’s next?
If you have any concerns regarding RA management please consult with your physician.
Published By :
Arthritis Research & Therapy
Date :
Mar 12, 2020
