JAK Inhibitors, Biologic DMARDs Yield Better Quality of Life Outcomes in Rheumatoid Arthritis

The following article is part of conference coverage from the 2018 American College of Rheumatology and Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ACR/ARHP) Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois. Rheumatology Advisor’s staff will be reporting breaking news associated with research conducted by leading experts in rheumatology. Check back for the latest news from ACR/ARHP 2018 .

CHICAGO — Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors and biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) resulted in better quality of life at 12 weeks compared with synthetic DMARDs (sDMARDs) among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This research was recently presented at the ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, held October 19-24, 2018, in Chicago, Illinois.

This systematic review included 44 articles published before May 2018, narrowed down from the 240 originally identified. Overall, a better quality of life was associated with the use of JAK inhibitors and bDMARDs compared with sDMARDs. On the 36-item Short Form Survey (SF-36), the 3-month Physical Component Summary for JAK inhibitors was 4.82 (95% CI, 3.88-5.77); for bDMARDs, it was 3.99 (95% CI, 2.81-5.18). The 3-month Mental Component Summary for JAK inhibitors was 3.42 (95% CI, 2.24-4.60); for bDMARDs, it was 2.99 (95% CI, 2.02-3.96). The confidence intervals were comparable between both groups.

Selected randomized controlled trials were identified using EMBASE, MEDLINE via PUBMED, and abstracts presented at the 2015 to 2017 ACR and EULAR conferences. The selected studies investigated quality of life, as measured by SF-36, among individuals with RA who were treated with JAK inhibitors or bDMARDs compared with sDMARDs. The effect sizes of 3-month SF-36 Physical and Mental Component Summaries for bDMARDs vs sDMARDs and JAK inhibitors vs sDMARDs were examined using meta-analysis and statistical analysis. The inverse variance method was used to examine data.

The study researchers conclude that “in this meta-analysis, JAK-inhibitor and bDMARD showed better SF36 [Physical Component Summary] and [Mental Component Summary] at 12 weeks in comparison with sDMARDs. The range of the confidence intervals seems similar between JAK [inhibitor] and bDMARDs, suggesting a similar effect on the components of the SF36. More head-to-head studies are needed to draw definitive conclusions on potential efficacy differences between JAK-inhibitor and bDMARDs in RA.”

The study author T. Barnetche discloses associations with Roche SAS and Chugai Pharma France.

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Reference

Boudhabhay M, Barnetche T, Vergne-Salle P. Effect of JAK-inhibitor versus bDMARDs on quality of life in rheumatoid arthritis: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Presented at: 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting; October 19-24, 2018; Chicago, IL. Abstract 1525.   

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