The first experience of using upadacitinib in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in real clinical practice (results of the multicenter project “RACURS”)

Upadacitinib (UPA), a JAK inhibitor, is a new therapeutic option that allows patients with insufficient response to therapy with basic anti-inflammatory drugs (DMARDs) or genetically engineered biological drugs (GEBDs) to achieve the goals of therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Despite the availability of convincing data from international randomized clinical trials, there is insufficient information about the efficacy and safety profile of UPA, the quality of life of patients receiving the drug in real clinical practice.
Aim of the study – to assess the efficacy and tolerability of the UPA drug at a dose of 15 mg/day in patients with rheumatoid arthritis with moderate and high disease activity and to assess their quality of life in real clinical practice.
Materials and methods. The study included 41 patients with RA with insufficient effect of previous therapy with DMARDs or GEBDs, persisting moderate or high disease activity, who were initiated with UPA therapy in 7 rheumatological centers of the Russian Federation. To assess the activity of the disease, standard indices were used: DAS28- ESR, DAS28-CRP, SDAI, CDAI. Functional ability was assessed according to the HAQ questionnaire, quality of life – according to the EQ-5D questionnaire, the activity of the disease according to the patient’s opinion – according to the RAPID-3 index. The HADS scale was used to identify the states of depression, anxiety and emotional disorder.
Results. During the first week of taking the drug, there was a marked decrease in pain from 60 to 30 mm on a visual analogue scale, which lasted until the third month of therapy. There was a statistically significant decrease in morning stiffness, the number of painful and swollen joints, health assessments by the doctor and patient, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein (p≤0.001). A decrease in disease activity was also noted according to the dynamics of the activity indices DAS28, SDAI, CDAI (p<0.001). The goals of therapy (remission or low disease activity) by the 3rd month of therapy according to the combined indices of activity DAS28-ESR and DAS28-CRP reached 44.8 and 63.4% of patients, respectively, according to the SDAI index – 56.7%, according to the CDAI index – 25.9%. A pronounced improvement in joint function (70% improvement according to the criteria of the American College of Rheumatology) was noted by 33.3% of patients, population indicators of functional state (HAQ≤0.5) had 15.8% of patients. The difference in the HAQ index by the 3rd month of therapy compared to the indicator before treatment was –0.60 points. The quality of life, assessed by patients using the EQ-5D questionnaire, improved in 98.5% of patients, with a 70% improvement noted in more than a third of them (41.7%). The drug was well tolerated, no adverse reactions were registered by the 3rd month of therapy, all patients continued treatment.
Conclusions. The first results of the use of UPA in RA patients with insufficient efficacy of previous therapy with DMARDs or GEBDs in real clinical practice indicate its efficacy and safety, an improvement in the functional state and quality of life of patients by the 12th week of the study.

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