medwireNews: Findings from a phase 1/2 pilot study suggest that baricitinib may be a promising treatment option for primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS).
The investigators explain that “Janus kinase (JAK) plays a key role in many signal pathways of cytokines involving the pathogenesis of SS, including type I interferon (IFN) pathway, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-17, IL-12 and IL-23,” leading them to hypothesize that baricitinib may be a promising treatment option.
They found that among 11 patients with pSS and moderate-to-high disease activity, average EULAR pSS Disease Activity Index (ESSDAI) scores improved significantly from 10.0 points at baseline to 3.4 points after 6 months of treatment with baricitinib 2 mg/day. Almost all (88.9%) of the nine participants with available data achieved a minimal clinically important improvement in ESSDAI score (≥3 points).
One patient with a history of hepatitis B virus infection discontinued treatment with the JAK inhibitor within 1 month due to a viral flare, but no other adverse events were reported during the 6-month study period.
“Further high-quality randomised controlled clinical trials are needed to confirm the therapeutic benefit of baricitinib in SS,” conclude XiaoMei Leng (Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College; Beijing, China) and team in a letter to the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
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Ann Rheum Dis 2022; doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-222053