Tofacitinib, an oral Janus kinase inhibitor, in patients from Colombia with rheumatoid arthritis: Pooled efficacy and safety analyses of data from phase III studies / Tofacitinib, un inhibidor oral de la janus kinasa, en pacientes colombianos con artritis reumatoide: análisis de eficacia y seguridad de los estudios de fase III

ABSTRACT Introduction: Tofacitinib is an oral Janus kinase inhibitor for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Objective: To conduct a post hoc analysis of tofacitinib efficacy and safety in Colombian patients enrolled in global phase III studies. Methods: Data were pooled from Colombian patients with RA across four phase III tofacitinib studies: ORAL Sync, ORAL Scan, ORAL Solo, and ORAL Start. Patients received tofacitinib 5 or 10 mg twice daily, methotrexate (ORAL Start only), or placebo as single therapy (ORAL Start and ORAL Solo), or in combination with csDMARDs (ORAL Sync and ORAL Scan). Data were pooled from three studies with similar patient populations (Sync, Scan, Solo) for efficacy analyses, and from all studies for safety analyses, up to Month 24. The efficacy analysis excluded ORAL Start due to the methotrexate-naive patient population, and placebo and methotrexate groups, due to low patient numbers. Results: Data pooled included 77 patients for efficacy, and 125 for safety analyses. Tofacitinib-treated patients showed improved American College of Rheumatology 20/50/70 response rates, a mean Disease Activity Score 28-4 (erythrocyte sedimentation rate), and a mean change from baseline in Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index. Improvements were sustained in Months 12-24, although patient numbers were low post-Month 12. The most frequently reported adverse events were anemia, headache, influenza, and increased blood creatine phosphokinase. No tuberculosis cases, serious adverse events, or deaths were reported, and few cases of herpes zoster or malignancies occurred. Conclusions: Tofacitinib reduced RA signs and symptoms, and improved physical function. The efficacy and safety of tofacitinib in this Colombian sub-population were consistent with data from global phase III studies.

RESUMEN Introducción: Tofacitinib es un inhibidor oral de la janus kinasa para el tratamiento de la artritis reumatoide (AR). Objetivo: Análisis post hoc para evaluar la eficacia y seguridad de tofacitinib en los pacientes colombianos que participaron en los estudios globales de fase III. Métodos: La información se obtuvo de los pacientes colombianos con AR que participaron en 4 de los estudios de tofacitinib de fase III: ORAL Sync, ORAL Scan, ORAL Solo y ORAL Start. Los pacientes recibieron tofacitinib 5 o 10 mg 2 veces al día, ya sea en monoterapia (ORAL Start y ORAL Solo) o en combinación con csDMARDs (ORAL Scan y ORAL Sync), metotrexate (ORAL Start) o placebo. Para el análisis de eficacia se utilizaron 3 estudios que incluyeron poblaciones similares (Sync, Scan y Solo) y para el análisis de seguridad se utilizaron todos los estudios, hasta el mes 24. El análisis de eficacia excluyó tanto el estudio ORAL Start debido a población metotrexate naive como a los grupos placebo o metotrexate debido al bajo número de pacientes. Resultados: Se incluyeron 77 pacientes para el análisis de eficacia y 125 para seguridad. Los pacientes tratados con tofacitinib mostraron mejorías en las tasas de respuestas del American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 20/50/70, en el promedio del Disease Activity Score (DAS) 28-4 (velocidad de sedimentación globular) y en el cambio promedio desde la basal en el Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI). Las mejorías fueron sostenidas desde el mes 12 al mes 24, aunque el número de pacientes luego del mes 12 fue bajo. Los eventos adversos más frecuentemente reportados fueron anemia, cefalea, influenza e incremento de la creatin-fosfoquinasa sérica. No se reportaron casos de tuberculosis, eventos adversos serios o muertes. Ocurrieron casos poco frecuentes de herpes zoster y malignidades. Conclusiones: Tofacitinib redujo los signos y síntomas de la AR y mejoró la función física. La eficacia y seguridad en esta subpoblación colombiana fue consistente con los resultados de los pacientes que participaron en los estudios globales de fase III.

Safety of Tofacitinib in the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Latin America Compared With the Rest of the World Population.

OBJECTIVE: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, autoimmune disease characterized by joint destruction. Tofacitinib is an oral Janus kinase inhibitor for the treatment of RA. This post hoc analysis assessed the safety of tofacitinib in Latin American (LA) patients with RA versus the Rest of World (RoW) population. METHODS: Data were pooled from 14 clinical studies of tofacitinib: six Phase 2, six Phase 3 and two long-term extension studies. Incidence rates (IRs; patients with events/100 patient-years of treatment exposure) were calculated for safety events of special interest combined across tofacitinib doses. 95% confidence intervals (CI) for IRs were calculated using the maximum likelihood method. Descriptive comparisons were made between LA and RoW (excluding LA) populations. RESULTS: This analysis included data from 984 LA patients and 4687 RoW patients. IRs for safety events of special interest were generally similar between LA and RoW populations, with overlapping 95% CIs. IRs for discontinuation due to adverse events, serious infections, tuberculosis, all herpes zoster (HZ), serious HZ, malignancies (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) and major adverse cardiovascular events were numerically lower for LA versus RoW patients; IR for mortality was numerically higher. No lymphoma was reported in the LA population versus eight cases in the RoW population. Exposure (extent and length) was lower in the LA population (2148.33 patient-years [mean = 2.18 years]) versus RoW (10515.68 patient-years [mean = 2.24 years]). CONCLUSION: This analysis of pooled data from clinical studies of tofacitinib in patients with RA demonstrates that tofacitinib has a consistent safety profile across LA and RoW patient populations.

Recovery of nail dystrophy potential new therapeutic indication of tofacitinib.

Nail dystrophy is a heterogeneous skin condition and in some subtypes, is associated with autoimmune diseases in particular psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. In this report, we show that tofacitinib, a novel therapy for rheumatoid arthritis, appears to be beneficial in patients with nail disease refractory to other conventional modes of therapy.