Adding tofacitinib to treatment with DMARDs improves pain and function in patients with active RA

Main Category: Arthritis / Rheumatology
Article Date: 20 Aug 2013 - 1:00 PDT Current ratings for:
Adding tofacitinib to treatment with DMARDs improves pain and function in patients with active RA

Adding tofacitinib to treatment with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) may help improve symptoms in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Nonbiologic DMARDs, including methotrexate, are commonly used to treat RA. However, DMARDs alone do not always adequately treat the disease.

Tofacitinib is a novel, oral, Janus kinase inhibitor that treats RA. Researchers sought to determine the safety and efficacy of tofacitinib taken in combination with nonbiologic DMRDs.

Patients with inadequately controlled RA (n = 792) despite treatment with nonbiologic DMARDs were randomly assigned to one of four twice-daily treatment sequences: 5 mg of tofacitinib; 10 mg of tofacitinib; placebo advanced to 5 mg of tofacitinib; or placebo advanced to 10 mg of tofacitinib.

The study showed that when used in combination with various nonbiologic DMARDs, tofacitinib, 5 mg and 10 mg twice daily, compared with placebo, rapidly reduced the signs and symptoms of RA and improved physical function. Adverse events included decreases in neutrophil counts, increases in high- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, and small increases in serum creatinine and aminotransaminase levels.

Tofacitinib in Combination With Nonbiologic Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs in Patients With Active Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Randomized Trial, Joel Kremer, MD; Zhan-Guo Li, MD, PhD; Stephen Hall, MD; Roy Fleischmann, MD; Mark Genovese, MD; Emilio Martin-Mola, MD, PhD; John D. Isaacs, PhD; David Gruben, PhD; Gene Wallenstein, PhD; Sriram Krishnaswami, PhD; Samuel H. Zwillich, MD; Tamas Koncz, MD; Richard Riese, MD, PhD; and John Bradley, MD, Ann Intern Med. 2013;159(4):253-261. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-159-4-201308200-00006

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our arthritis / rheumatology section for the latest news on this subject. Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

American College of Physicians. "Adding tofacitinib to treatment with DMARDs improves pain and function in patients with active RA." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 20 Aug. 2013. Web.
20 Aug. 2013. APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

'Adding tofacitinib to treatment with DMARDs improves pain and function in patients with active RA'

Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam). We reserve the right to amend opinions where we deem necessary.

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

View the original article here