Philip Mease, MD: Upadacitinib Showing Promise Treating Psoriatic Arthritis

Upadacitinib, already a proven and effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, could also be an effective treatment for psoriatic arthritis.

In data planned for presentation during the European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR) 2020 meeting, a team of researchers assessed the efficacy and safety of upadacitinib compared to placebo in patients with psoriatic arthritis with prior inadequate response or intolerance to at least 1 biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (bDMARD).

In the SELECT-PsA-2 trial, 641 patients were equally randomized to receive upadacitinib 15 mg (UPA15), 30 mg (UPA30), or placebo. The investigators stratified patients by baseline biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug use, number of failed attempts, and extent of psoriasis.

Overall, a significantly greater proportion receiving either dosage of upadacitinib compared to placebo achieved ACR20 at week 12 (56.9% and 63.8% vs 24.1%; P < .0001 for both comparisons).

The investigators observed statistically significant improvements in both upadacitinib treatment arms compared to placebo in all multiplicity controlled secondary endpoints including ΔHAQ-DI (PBO, -0.10; UPA15, -0.30; UPA30, -0.41), ΔSF-36 PCS (PBO, 1.6; UPA15, 5.2; UPA30, 7.1), ΔFACIT-F (PBO, 1.3; UPA15, 5.0; UPA30, 6.1), and ΔSAPS (PBO, -1.5; UPA15, -24.4; UPA30, -29.7; P < .0001 for all endpoints).

In an interview with HCPLive®, Philip J. Mease, MD, director of rheumatology research at the Swedish Rheumatology Research Group, explained the positive upadacitinib results and how intertwined rheumatoid arthritis is with psoriatic arthritis.