New Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatments 2022

What is Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)?^1,2,3

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks body tissues. It primarily affects joints, but it can also cause inflammation of organs, such as the lungs, eyes, skin, and heart. Patients may experience periods of increased symptoms which alternate with periods of fewer or no symptoms. It affects about 1 % of the worldwide population and it is estimated that about 75 % of patients are women. There is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis, but medications can stop the progression of the disease and ease symptoms.

What are the latest approved treatments for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)?

There are several new Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) medications that have been approved and others that remain under clinical trial. Here are some of them:

Jyseleca (filgotinib)⁴

Jyseleca (filgotinib) is a Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) inhibitor indicated for the treatment of adults with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It is indicated for patients who do not respond or are intolerant to other anti-rheumatic medicines. It can be used on its own (monotherapy) or together with another anti-rheumatic medicine, methotrexate (MTX).

Jyseleca (filgotinib) was approved for the acute treatment of adults with migraine by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), Europe, on September 24, 2020 and by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA), Japan, on September 25, 2020.

Rinvoq (upadacitinib)^5,6

Rinvoq (upadacitinib) is an oral, once daily selective and reversible JAK inhibitor used for the expanded use in two additional rheumatic indications: the treatment of adult patients with active psoriatic arthritis and adult patients with active ankylosing spondylitis. It is used for moderate or severe rheumatoid arthritis that cannot be controlled well enough with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic medicines or if the patient cannot take these medicines.

Rinvoq (upadacitinib) was approved for the treatment of moderate or severe Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) by the by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), US, on Aug 16, 2019 and by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), Europe, on Dec 12, 2019.

Otilimab⁷

Otilimab is a monoclonal antibody that had been in late-stage clinical trials as a potential new treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

Phase 2 clinical trials recently showed that otilimab suppressed inflammation and also significantly reduced patient reported pain scores. In October 2019, the Phase 3 contRAst 3 (NCT04134728) study started to assess the safety and efficacy of Otilimab in combination with disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), in patients with moderately to severely active RA who have had an inadequate response to DMARDs or targeted therapies.

Otilimab has not been approved anywhere in the world.

If you’ve received a Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) diagnosis and are trying to access a new medication for RA that is approved outside of your country of residence, we might be able to help you access it with the help of your treating doctor. You can read more about the medicines we can help you access and their price below:

Why access new medicines for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) with TheSocialMedwork?

TheSocialMedwork is registered in The Hague with the Dutch Ministry of Health (registration number 6730 BEM) as an independent medicines intermediary. We have helped patients from over 85 countries to access thousands of medicines including. With a prescription from your treating doctor, you can count on our expert team to safely and legally guide you to access new Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) drugs. If you or someone you know are looking to access a medicine that is not yet approved where they live, we can support you. Contact us for more information.

References:

1. Medicinenet.com
2. Rheumatoidarthritis.org
3. Mayoclinic.org
4. Ema.europa.eu
5. Ema.europa.eu
6. Accessdata.fda.gov
7. Thelancet.com
8. Jyseleca (filgotinib) - Thesocialmedwork.com
9. Olumiant (baricitinib) - Thesocialmedwork.com

Disclaimer: This article is not meant to influence or impact the care provided by your treating physician. Please do not make changes to your treatment without first consulting your healthcare provider. This article is not intended to diagnose or treat illness or to influence treatment options. TheSocialMedwork is as diligent as possible in compiling and updating the information on this page. However, TheSocialMedwork does not guarantee the correctness and completeness of the information provided on this page.