Abstract

EFFICACY OF JAK-STAT INHIBITORS IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Arathy R.*, Shiraz S., Dona Benny and Sini S. G.

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Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a leading cause of musculoskeletal disease worldwide. Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs have been used to treat RA. The treatment has advanced due to the introduction of biological disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors or JAKinhibs are orally available biological disease modifying anti- rheumatic drugs. Tofacitinib was the first FDA-approved JAK inhibitor. Another drug baricitinib also demonstrated efficacy in treating RA. Many other JAKinhibs are currently in clinical trials. These drugs act by inhibiting the JAKSTAT pathway which plays an important role in the pathophysiology of RA. JAK inhibitors differ by their selectivity towards JAKs. In this review, we summarize the efficacy and safety of JAK inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis.

Keywords: Rheumatoid arthritis, DMARDs, JAK-STAT pathway, Janus kinase inhibitors, Tofacitinib, Baricitinib.