Tofacitinib in ulcerative colitis: a profile of its use

AbstractOral tofacitinib (Xeljanz®) is a first-in-class, small molecule janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor that is approved for the treatment of moderate to severe ulcerative colitis in adults who have inadequately responded to, or are intolerant of, conventional therapy or a biological agent in the EU and in adults who have inadequately responded to, or are intolerant of, a tumour necrosis factor antagonist in the USA. In the pivotal phase 3 trials, tofacitinib induction (10 mg twice daily) and maintenance (5 or 10 mg twice daily) treatment significantly improved clinical and endoscopic findings of ulcerative colitis and health-related quality of life relative to placebo, with clinical benefits maintained longer term with flexible dosing strategy. Tofacitinib had a manageable tolerability profile in ulcerative colitis patients that was consistent with that established in rheumatoid arthritis patients and longer-term safety data revealed no new safety signals.
Source: Drugs and Therapy Perspectives - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research