New Xeljanz Studies to be Presented at ACR Conference

Pfizer has recently announced that they will be presenting new findings from clinical trials of Xeljanz (tofacitinib citrate) at the American College of Rheumatology and Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals annual meeting (ACR/ARHP annual meeting).

In total, they will be presenting data from these studies in 20 abstracts, including those from the phase 3 Oral Psoriatic Arthritis Trial (OPAL) studies of the drug. The data will be discussed during multiple oral presentations and poster sessions.

OPAL Broaden will be discussed during a plenary session, and OPAL Beyond will be discussed at a late-breaking abstract session, Pfizer reported.

Additional information as well as updated research will be presented for Xeljanz in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Presentations will highlight:

· benefit and risk profile of the drug as a monotherapy

· efficacy and safety data of Xeljanz with/without the use of glucorticoids

· early use in rheumatoid arthritis

· time to response

The efficacy and safety of long-term Xeljanz use will also include real-world data from an interim analysis of a rheumatoid arthritis registry, as well as updated information from an extension study, according to Pfizer.

Xeljanz is a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, and is the first and only JAK inhibitor approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis after treatment failure of methotrexate. The drug received approval earlier this year for this indication.

It can be used as a monotherapy or as combination treatment with methotrexate or other non-biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs.

Currently, Xeljanz is approved in 50 countries for this second-line indication. It has been examined in 6300 patients with the disease, which Pfizer said equates to over 21,000 patient-years of drug exposure in the drug’s clinical development program.

“As part of our commitment to inflammation and immunology, we continue to advance our leading science in the research of Janus kinase inhibition,” said Michael Corbo, chief development officer, Inflammation & Immunology, Pfizer Global Product Development. “The extensive data being presented at this year's ACR/AHRP annual meeting expands upon our knowledge about the role of Xeljanz for the treatment of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis and also highlights its potential, if approved, for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis.”