Efficacy of baricitinib in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

ABSTRACT

Introduction: although the outcome for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (ra) has improved in the past decades, adequate disease control cannot be achieved in a substantial proportion of patients. new drugs with a novel mechanism of action, may represent a valuable addition to the current armamentarium.

Areas covered: This review focuses on the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of baricitinib. Furthermore, the article summarizes and comments the drug’s efficacy and safety profile in RA patients.

Expert opinion: Baricitinib is an oral targeted synthetic (ts) disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) that mainly inhibits JAK1 and JAK2.

Baricitinib monotherapy, or in combination with conventional synthetic (cs) DMARDs, has demonstrated its efficacy while having an acceptable safety profile in early active RA naive to DMARDs, and active RA with an inadequate response to csDMARDs and/or biologic (b)DMARDs. The future place of baricitinib in the management of RA patients will depend on several factors. However, baricitinib offer few advantages: oral administration, rapidity of action, efficacy in monotherapy and over adalimumab in one study and non-immunization. However, pending further safety data, current practice would be to start a bDMARD when the treatment target is not achieved with csDMARDs. Availability of additional long-term safety data may influence prescribing decisions.

KEYWORDS:

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• baricitinib
• JAK
• herpes zoster virus
• monotherapy

Declaration of interest

C Richez has received consulting fees, speaking fees, and/or honoraria from Nordic Pharma, Medac, Pfizer, Abbvie, Roche, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck Sharp & Dohme, UCB Pharma and Lilly (less than $10,000 each). ME Truchetet has received consulting fees, speaking fees, and/or honoraria from Pfizer, Abbvie, Roche, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck Sharp & Dohme, UCB Pharma and Lilly (less than $10,000 each). T Schaeverbeke has received consulting fees, speaking fees, and/or honoraria from Nordic Pharma, Pfizer, Abbvie, Roche, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck Sharp & Dohme, UCB Pharma and Lilly (less than $10,000 each). B Bannwarth has received consulting fees from Lilly and Pfizer. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded