New JAK-1 inhibitor had high, early efficacy in rheumatoid arthritis trial

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – Treatment with the investigational drug upadacitinib resulted in higher percentages of patients with active rheumatoid arthritis achieving good disease control within 12 weeks than did treatment with placebo in a phase 3 trial.

Two-thirds of patients met American College of Rheumatology 20% (ACR 20) response criteria, and almost half (48%) achieved a Disease Activity Score in 28 Joints–C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP) of 3.2 or less versus 17% of placebo-treated patients (P less than .001).

All patients had been given upadacitinib on top of their existing conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug therapy because they had not been fully responding to csDMARDs alone.

“Onset of action was rapid: By week 1 significantly more patients achieved ACR 20 on upadacitinib at both doses versus placebo,” the study’s investigators noted in a poster presentation given at the British Society for Rheumatology annual conference. Significant improvements in DAS28-CRP and Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) were also seen as early as week 1.

Gerd R. Burmester, MD, of Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, and associates reported the results of the SELECT-NEXT study, one of six global phase 3 studies testing the efficacy and safety of upadacitinib targeting “a range of different patient populations” with RA; together the trials include more than 4,500 patients.

Upadacitinib (ABT-494) is a selective Janus kinase (JAK)-1 inhibitor and is also in phase 3 trials for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis and Crohn’s disease, as well as being tested as a potential treatment for axial spondyloarthritis, giant cell arteritis, ulcerative colitis, and atopic dermatitis.

SELECT-NEXT consists of two phases, the first of which has been completed and was reported at the meeting. Phase 1 consisted of randomized, double-blind treatment with upadacitinib 15 mg or 30 mg once daily or matching placebo. After the coprimary endpoint assessment of ACR 20 and DAS28-CRP was undertaken at 12 weeks, the trial entered its second phase: This is a blinded-extension phase that will last up to 5 years and during which patients randomized to upadacitinib will continue their treatment, and the patients randomized to placebo will split into two groups and be treated with one or the other dose of upadacitinib.

The study included 661 patients who had been treated with csDMARDs for at least 3 months but still had swollen and tender joint counts of six or higher and high-sensitivity CRP levels of 3 mg/L or higher. At entry, patients were allowed to continue on up to two csDMARDs; stable-dose steroids (less than 10 mg/week), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and acetaminophen were also allowed.

“Significant changes from baseline in several patient-reported outcomes were observed,” with the active treatment versus placebo, the investigators observed. Indeed, by week 12, morning stiffness was reduced by an average of 85 minutes in patients taking upadacitinib versus a decrease of 34 minutes in the placebo group. Significant (P less than .01) improvements were also seen in Short-Form 36–Mental Component scores, they reported.

Furthermore, more patients taking the active treatment than placebo achieved clinical remission by 12 weeks.

“The safety and tolerability profile was consistent with observations in the phase 2 studies,” Dr. Burmester and associates observed. The most frequently reported adverse events in more than 3% of patients were nasopharyngitis, upper respiratory infection, headache, urinary tract infection, cough, nausea, and diarrhea.

Serious adverse events and those leading to discontinuation were both higher in the two upadacitinib groups versus placebo, at 2.7% and 5.9% for the 30-mg dose, 4.1% and 3.2% for the 15-mg dose, and 2.3% and 3.2% for placebo. Of note, infections occurred in a 31.5% of patients on 30 mg, 29.0% on 15 mg, and 21.3% on placebo, and hepatic disorders occurred in 2.7% of patients on 30 mg, 1.8% on 15 mg, and 2.3% on placebo. One (0.5%) patient taking the 30-mg dose had a major cardiovascular event and two (0.9%) patients in the 15-mg group had other adjudicated cardiovascular events.

The study was sponsored and run by Abbvie. The study authors acknowledged receiving research support or consulting fees from Abbvie or being employees of the company.

SOURCE: Burmester GR et al.; BSR 2018 Rheumatology. 2018;57[Suppl. 3]:key075.466.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – Treatment with the investigational drug upadacitinib resulted in higher percentages of patients with active rheumatoid arthritis achieving good disease control within 12 weeks than did treatment with placebo in a phase 3 trial.

Two-thirds of patients met American College of Rheumatology 20% (ACR 20) response criteria, and almost half (48%) achieved a Disease Activity Score in 28 Joints–C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP) of 3.2 or less versus 17% of placebo-treated patients (P less than .001).

All patients had been given upadacitinib on top of their existing conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug therapy because they had not been fully responding to csDMARDs alone.

“Onset of action was rapid: By week 1 significantly more patients achieved ACR 20 on upadacitinib at both doses versus placebo,” the study’s investigators noted in a poster presentation given at the British Society for Rheumatology annual conference. Significant improvements in DAS28-CRP and Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) were also seen as early as week 1.

Gerd R. Burmester, MD, of Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, and associates reported the results of the SELECT-NEXT study, one of six global phase 3 studies testing the efficacy and safety of upadacitinib targeting “a range of different patient populations” with RA; together the trials include more than 4,500 patients.

Upadacitinib (ABT-494) is a selective Janus kinase (JAK)-1 inhibitor and is also in phase 3 trials for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis and Crohn’s disease, as well as being tested as a potential treatment for axial spondyloarthritis, giant cell arteritis, ulcerative colitis, and atopic dermatitis.

SELECT-NEXT consists of two phases, the first of which has been completed and was reported at the meeting. Phase 1 consisted of randomized, double-blind treatment with upadacitinib 15 mg or 30 mg once daily or matching placebo. After the coprimary endpoint assessment of ACR 20 and DAS28-CRP was undertaken at 12 weeks, the trial entered its second phase: This is a blinded-extension phase that will last up to 5 years and during which patients randomized to upadacitinib will continue their treatment, and the patients randomized to placebo will split into two groups and be treated with one or the other dose of upadacitinib.

The study included 661 patients who had been treated with csDMARDs for at least 3 months but still had swollen and tender joint counts of six or higher and high-sensitivity CRP levels of 3 mg/L or higher. At entry, patients were allowed to continue on up to two csDMARDs; stable-dose steroids (less than 10 mg/week), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and acetaminophen were also allowed.

“Significant changes from baseline in several patient-reported outcomes were observed,” with the active treatment versus placebo, the investigators observed. Indeed, by week 12, morning stiffness was reduced by an average of 85 minutes in patients taking upadacitinib versus a decrease of 34 minutes in the placebo group. Significant (P less than .01) improvements were also seen in Short-Form 36–Mental Component scores, they reported.

Furthermore, more patients taking the active treatment than placebo achieved clinical remission by 12 weeks.

“The safety and tolerability profile was consistent with observations in the phase 2 studies,” Dr. Burmester and associates observed. The most frequently reported adverse events in more than 3% of patients were nasopharyngitis, upper respiratory infection, headache, urinary tract infection, cough, nausea, and diarrhea.

Serious adverse events and those leading to discontinuation were both higher in the two upadacitinib groups versus placebo, at 2.7% and 5.9% for the 30-mg dose, 4.1% and 3.2% for the 15-mg dose, and 2.3% and 3.2% for placebo. Of note, infections occurred in a 31.5% of patients on 30 mg, 29.0% on 15 mg, and 21.3% on placebo, and hepatic disorders occurred in 2.7% of patients on 30 mg, 1.8% on 15 mg, and 2.3% on placebo. One (0.5%) patient taking the 30-mg dose had a major cardiovascular event and two (0.9%) patients in the 15-mg group had other adjudicated cardiovascular events.

The study was sponsored and run by Abbvie. The study authors acknowledged receiving research support or consulting fees from Abbvie or being employees of the company.

SOURCE: Burmester GR et al.; BSR 2018 Rheumatology. 2018;57[Suppl. 3]:key075.466.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – Treatment with the investigational drug upadacitinib resulted in higher percentages of patients with active rheumatoid arthritis achieving good disease control within 12 weeks than did treatment with placebo in a phase 3 trial.

Two-thirds of patients met American College of Rheumatology 20% (ACR 20) response criteria, and almost half (48%) achieved a Disease Activity Score in 28 Joints–C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP) of 3.2 or less versus 17% of placebo-treated patients (P less than .001).

All patients had been given upadacitinib on top of their existing conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug therapy because they had not been fully responding to csDMARDs alone.

“Onset of action was rapid: By week 1 significantly more patients achieved ACR 20 on upadacitinib at both doses versus placebo,” the study’s investigators noted in a poster presentation given at the British Society for Rheumatology annual conference. Significant improvements in DAS28-CRP and Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) were also seen as early as week 1.

Gerd R. Burmester, MD, of Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, and associates reported the results of the SELECT-NEXT study, one of six global phase 3 studies testing the efficacy and safety of upadacitinib targeting “a range of different patient populations” with RA; together the trials include more than 4,500 patients.

Upadacitinib (ABT-494) is a selective Janus kinase (JAK)-1 inhibitor and is also in phase 3 trials for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis and Crohn’s disease, as well as being tested as a potential treatment for axial spondyloarthritis, giant cell arteritis, ulcerative colitis, and atopic dermatitis.

SELECT-NEXT consists of two phases, the first of which has been completed and was reported at the meeting. Phase 1 consisted of randomized, double-blind treatment with upadacitinib 15 mg or 30 mg once daily or matching placebo. After the coprimary endpoint assessment of ACR 20 and DAS28-CRP was undertaken at 12 weeks, the trial entered its second phase: This is a blinded-extension phase that will last up to 5 years and during which patients randomized to upadacitinib will continue their treatment, and the patients randomized to placebo will split into two groups and be treated with one or the other dose of upadacitinib.

The study included 661 patients who had been treated with csDMARDs for at least 3 months but still had swollen and tender joint counts of six or higher and high-sensitivity CRP levels of 3 mg/L or higher. At entry, patients were allowed to continue on up to two csDMARDs; stable-dose steroids (less than 10 mg/week), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and acetaminophen were also allowed.

“Significant changes from baseline in several patient-reported outcomes were observed,” with the active treatment versus placebo, the investigators observed. Indeed, by week 12, morning stiffness was reduced by an average of 85 minutes in patients taking upadacitinib versus a decrease of 34 minutes in the placebo group. Significant (P less than .01) improvements were also seen in Short-Form 36–Mental Component scores, they reported.

Furthermore, more patients taking the active treatment than placebo achieved clinical remission by 12 weeks.

“The safety and tolerability profile was consistent with observations in the phase 2 studies,” Dr. Burmester and associates observed. The most frequently reported adverse events in more than 3% of patients were nasopharyngitis, upper respiratory infection, headache, urinary tract infection, cough, nausea, and diarrhea.

Serious adverse events and those leading to discontinuation were both higher in the two upadacitinib groups versus placebo, at 2.7% and 5.9% for the 30-mg dose, 4.1% and 3.2% for the 15-mg dose, and 2.3% and 3.2% for placebo. Of note, infections occurred in a 31.5% of patients on 30 mg, 29.0% on 15 mg, and 21.3% on placebo, and hepatic disorders occurred in 2.7% of patients on 30 mg, 1.8% on 15 mg, and 2.3% on placebo. One (0.5%) patient taking the 30-mg dose had a major cardiovascular event and two (0.9%) patients in the 15-mg group had other adjudicated cardiovascular events.

The study was sponsored and run by Abbvie. The study authors acknowledged receiving research support or consulting fees from Abbvie or being employees of the company.

SOURCE: Burmester GR et al.; BSR 2018 Rheumatology. 2018;57[Suppl. 3]:key075.466.