A daily pill that reduces the symptoms of severe rheumatoid artheritis in almost two thirds of patients has been approved by the UK s drug watchdog, providing hope that sufferers could go into remission from the condition.
.Trials found that combining the drug upadacitinib with conventional anti-rheumatic drugs led to an improvement in symptoms for 65 per cent of those suffering from moderate to severe forms of of the condition when compared with a placebo. It s sold under the brand name Rinvoq. It s used in severe cases who s disease has responded inadequately to intensive therapy with a combination of drugs. It costs £805.56 for a pack lasting 28 days. So it will cost £10,508 per year per pateient.
Upadacitnib blocks the action of enzymes called Janus Kinazes, which lead to inflammation, blocking them can reduce swelling and pain.
The fact that this drug seems to be very effective is funtastic news., As Professor Chris Edward's stated ' These drugs can transform people s lives, helping to stop the devastating pain, fatigue and loss of function'. He has worked on this disease for three decades and when he started, remisipsion was something that was never considered possible for patients.
My only wory is that this pill will not be assessable to everyone, only to those who have failed all other drugs, therefore there will be a very strict eligibility criteria. I have myself failed at many drugs whilst I'm doing ok with Humiri, there is certainly lots of room for improvement. I would love to go into remission. ME WANT THIS PILL!!
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Jaxine
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My brother in law phoned my h last evening to tell him about this. He'd read it in some newspaper. Amazing that an intelligent professional can read from the article that it's a cure for RD. It's another in the Janus Kinase group, similar to Xeljanz (tofacitinib).
Maybe your Rheumy will discuss the JAK's with you Jaxine, if he/she feels they may be suitable for you if Humira isn't working as well as it could, or maybe another anti-TNF?
My sister has been taking this for a three months having previously been on tofacitinib. The professor supervising her treatment is apparently disappointed in the results so far.
So don't get your hopes up too much! It's amazing that it was headlined as a 'once daily pill that cures Rheumatoid Arthritis'. It doesn't 'cure' it, but it might supress it...as do quite a few other medications.
I'm not getting my hopes up at all, I'm happy enough on my biologic with hardly any side effects I really have got my life back, I prefer to remain positive and not become cynical however, on reading other comments it seems the majority are less amused!
I wonder what paper this was in? Poor reporting...
As others have said, it’s a new JAK inhibitor to join Xeljanz and Olumiant which have been around for a couple of years. Personally (unless participating in a trial) I would prefer to take drugs that have been around a while so have a known safety profile. But more choice of drugs is good as we each respond so differently and for people that haven’t got on with other drugs this could be the one for them.
I can recommend the I or, if you want a broadsheet, The Independent. We've read The Independent since it came out and then switched over to the I as we prefer the smaller format. Great puzzles as well as generally unbiased (no one is perfect!) reporting 😊
I also like the fact that because we subscribe, it's cheaper and can be accessed online as well - very useful when my joints weren't behaving and I couldn't hold a pen comfortably to do the puzzles.
So your Rheumy has already offered you a JAKi Jaxine, Olumiant is the same class as this new one. So if you were put off by the side effects of Olumiant then I would think the same would be true for Rinvoq, they are very similar, some exactly the same.
Well that sounds fantastic. I do think caution though as I've had mmmm maybe 6 different biologics, some were great , some were not, it's what suits you. But if they have found one that suits everyone that's fantastic news!
Oh my! It's just had a small mention on This Morning at the end of the health news. The strapline said it's possible cure & Schofe repeated that. The Dr didn’t put them right, what she did say was it could mean remission for some. But who not in RD world knows what that means?
It's the same with each new med though, the claims don't always pan out in reality. That said any of the specialist Rheumatology meds (cDMARD, bDMARD etc) has the potential to give remission. We've had people here on other JAKi's, Xeljanz (tofacitinib) & Olumiant (baricitinib). It would be interesting to know how many have achieved complete remission on either one. Any new med is an achievement but the cost is often prohibitive. As it is in the UK the current JAKi's are approved for use in patients with high/severe disease activity with or without methotrexate, following failure of conventional DMARDs or biologics, the latter when rituximab is contraindicated.
Sorry to hear that. There is no cure you're right, but with each new drug we can only hope that at least we are not being forgotten about and each time each new drug is becoming more effective.
I have been taking Xelijanz and MTX for a few years now . The combo is the only one that gave the most relief. But I am not in remission. It got so bad that RA attacked my heart. I had open heart surgery 12 yrs ago. All is as good as it can be. We all travel through this deasese differently. Some people get remission from their drugs. I never did.
That's terrible that RA attacked your heart! I'm so glad you are ok now. I think very few get to tell the news that remission has been achieved. It's such a shame that all the drugs that controll RA has such a lot of side effects. I've had many flare ups and expect more, but I'm much stronger now to cope with them when they scream at me. I now know, whilst they may rear their ugly head, they do not last ( for me anyway) it s taken 18 months to get to the stage I'm at now. It would have been wonderful to have been on Humiri at the beginning of my journey however, it s like a game of football some balls go into the net but many don't. But controlling RA is paramount!
Thank you you are so right. I believe that too. It would be great to have the right meds at the start. Everyone as time goes by has tried different drugs. It depends how the RA progresses. So if you find a combo that works you are so thankful. But then I have OA too. I can't take anything that helps that much. So I deal as best I can. Think positive!
One for JAKi's, that's good to hear even if it didn’t bring full remission. I'm sorry that RD has caused heart problems... a reminder that it's not only outwardly noticed joint destruction & disfiguration it can cause, that our vital organs can potentially be attacked. Important as well that our Rheumy's do all they can & we listen & take advice given in order to get a hold of this disease. I hope it doesn't limit you too much.
Thank you. I can't walk too far or stand too long. Mostly from OA. There are other things I went through that people would wonder how I am still here. I follow everything my Doctors says . I feel the AA prayer sums up how to approach life no matter what illness you have. Along time ago a friend told me it.
I'm sorry. OA can be equally disabling in it's own way. I know the one you mean, the Serenity Prayer... it wouldn’t harm to all use that as an aide mèmoire from time to time, as we go through & try to navigate even more trying times especially with this coming season.
I have OA in my finger joint and it s so painful, I'm blessed it s only in one finger . I've never heard of the AA prayer I will Google it. I'm sorry to hear your RA and OA is effecting you in such a bad way.
Jaxine, any of the drugs can put you into remission if it happens to be the “one” for you. There are people on here who have just taken hydroxy or sulpha (the mildest drugs) for years with no ill effects and staying in remission. And any of the drugs can give you serious side effects and make you ill. That’s the frustrating thing - there’s no way of knowing.
I think some rheumatologists have a better nose for what might work best for each patient, but generally it’s trial and error.
It’s not about being cynical, but realistic. Newspapers are in the business of selling papers, so eye catching headlines of “cures” are far more appealing than saying the 27th RA drug that might help some people, who haven’t been helped by the other 26, is now available.
Yes I get it you're right. I've only been living with this condition for 18 months. Had I been living with this disease for years I think I might be more realistic and not hold my breath! But you never know, and it s always good to have an open mind and be positive.
Which is the most annoying but realistic truth. How long Humiri works for me ' how long is a piece of string' but I'm happy for now that it seems to be right one for me.
I think when it comes to any drugs that come out consult your Remey. To see if this might be something you could try. It took me a long time to find something that took away some of the pain. I can tolerate it. Some days are better than others. I'm glad I wake up each morning and take care of what I have to do for myself. Much slower than I used to.
Yes it s about working in partnership with our consultants, ultimately however, it s us that has to take the drugs so we are the experts in our journey with RA
I agree once I turned fifty everything I was feeling got worse. By fifty eight I had open heart surgery. I think alot of things change for women. Everyone's story is different and some are similar.
Actually the cynical me has just had a thought. Humira is now out of patent so Abbvie will be earning a lot less from it. Therefore it’s timely for Abbvie to have a new drug that is in patent...I won’t be surprised if they now push this one more than Humira.
(Rinvoq has been developed by Abbvie, and the two existing JAK inhibitors are produced by Eli Lilly and Pfizer so Abbvie needs one of their own to be able to stay competitive in this market)
The big breakthroughs are the first new drugs in a class - so the first anti-TNF was big news - I think that was either Remicade or Etanercept. And that was the first time that particular bit of the immune system was targeted and found to help us. Other drugs companies then produced similar drugs that vary a bit, and people's reactions to them vary a bit, but basically doing the same thing in the same way. So now we have about 8 of them
So the first JAK inhibitor was similarly very exciting. Maybe this one will be significantly better than the other two, but it might just be that it suits some people better.
Sadly a lot is about money. I think the NHS spends something like £400million a year just on Humira!
Humiri Is working well for me at the moment, however if it fails I will be happy to try out this new drug. I just think let's be positive and hope it suits the majority.
Yes the first was Etanercept as I was offered that as a trial very early on in my R.A. but was too scared. Ended up taking it ten years later and it worked miraculously within two hours but lost efficacy within five weeks. 🤨 You can’t tell how they will work or not.
That s so sad that it lost it s effectiveness after only 5 weeks. I felt Humiri, after nine months, had stopped working for me as I experienced a bad flare up consequently I was about to give up and try a different drug but fortunately i decided to persevere and. I'm so glad I did, as I'm back on track and doing so well. I've realised that even with effective drugs flare ups can still happen.
Yes, Enbrel had such promise but so short lived but I was told this could happen. I then took Humira for 3 months and that did nothing! Then moved onto Rituximab which made a remarkable difference. I’m glad you stuck with Humira and got through the flare up.
I can t get my head around how one drug can be remarkable for one person but has no effect on another. We all share the same condition where our immune system attacks our joints, however the drugs we take are so variable . It s just bizarre.
Thanks for sharing this this! I heard the tail end of this on This Morning but didn't get the full story it must have been about this drug. I shall speak to my Rheumy about it next time we meet. Hope life is treating you kindly 😌 - Hessie
Hi Hessie, I'm really good at the moment my RA is being veryvkind albeit not perfect. I'm not looking to change drugs, but I was thinking this may be the way forward into remission. A tad naive it seems, thinking it could be a new miracle drug.
hello to everyone on this thread, if you read about Upadacitinib in the Daily Express, I'm afraid, as usual with tabloid newspapers, they often exaggerate and don't quite get the facts straight, it's not a cure. Upadacitinib is a new JAK inhibitor, and very similar in safety and efficacy to Baricitinib (already available) and Filgotinib which is due to be appraised by NICE on 3rd Dec. I will be there as lay expert as I was with Upadacitinib earlier this year and was at the Barcitinib appraisal. These are small molecule targeted synthetic therapies which work on the inside of the cell rather than blocking receptors on the outside of the cell as in biologic DMARDs, hence they can be taken orally. JAKs can be given first line following DMARD failure or post failure of a biologic but you do have to be eligible, as per the biologics. You can't have them before you have Methotrexate for example. You can read more about the JAKS and all other meds in RA in our booklet Medicines in RA. nras.org.uk/data/files/Publ...
The amount of my friends that get so excited to inform that I've got it all wrong! Go on a plant based diet, go vegan, take this herb, ........ it s soooooo annoying! I think many people never research RA they just think it s a consequence of bad diet.
It is thank you .. very helpful, and yes I’ve seen similar tabloid articles I’ve been sent by well meaning people in the past re Anti-TNFs curing RA. Have to admire their enthusiasm!! 😜
Thanks Alisa for giving such an informative reply. I am already impressed by so many on this forum who are so well read on RA and its treatment.
I think I am one of the lucky ones . I have had a few setbacks along the 16 years that That I have had RA but all seems settled on Methotrexate and Benepali. Long may it continue😊
Hi Jaxine, I'm the same as you. I've failed on most Rheumatoid drugs. The only one that did help the pain was Methotrexate, but it played havoc with my blood count, so I was taken off them.
I've had bones taken out of both hands, bone taken out of right foot also had fluid drained out of right thigh where it had leaked out of my left hip. all because of the Rheumatoid and the Osteoarthritis.
I've also got Chronic Fibromyalgia and I'm always looking for something that would help people with this horrendous disease. I came across one called Metformin. It's a Diabetic tablet, but it has been proven to help people with Fibromyalgia .I asked my Rheumatologist about it, but he argued with me that it was a Diabetic tablet.
I had it all written down on paper. So I shoved it on his desk and said "Look it up on the screen in front of you."he did, and he said " Oh yes you are right, well I didn't know that". But he still wouldn't give it to me because I'm only borderline Diabetic. So last week I had a Telephone conversation with my GP about them. She said that 6 months ago I was borderline, but that now I'm not.
So I told her that if she don't let me have any to try, I'm gonna ask my Friend to let me have some. My Friend takes them because she has Fibromyalgia and they have been helping her with the pain. She's not Diabetic, but her Doctor lets her have them on repeat prescription.
If Humiri stops working for me I will be happy to try it. Whilst it might not work for everyone like all the drugs on the market for RA if it works out that it works for the majority then great. An open mind and a positive mindset is important.
I’m currently on Humira but my doctor wants me to try Xeljanz. Honestly, I’m too scared to try after hearing the risks. For the people who have made the switch, is it more risk? Or am I just being overly cautious to try a Jak inhibitor?
There are side effects with all of our drugs and individually we all feel the effects differently. You may very well find that Xeljanz will be the perfect drug for you, if not you will always have the ability (in partnership with your consultant) to come off it. With RA drugs the goal is to prevent further damage and for our RA to be controlled, ufortunately we have to accept some side effects. Give it a go and see how you feel. Good luck.
A cure!?!?!? Wow, that was a desperate journalism move. I've been seeing commercials for Rinvoq for a while now here in the US. So, I'm surprised about the hype this article caused. It's similar to Xeljanz, as mentioned, it's a JAK inhibitor.
The first and only biologic I've tried thus far is Humira and my rheumy insisted on this being the first biologic I start with since it has been around a while and most (according to her) do well.
I told her I'd rather take Xeljanz (pill vs injection), plus the slight chance it may help with my hair loss (been used to help treat some forms of alopecia). She really didn't want me to try that Xeljanz YET, as it's pretty new I'm comparison to other biologics, plus some of her patients experienced stomach tears and other more serious side effects. She felt bypassing the digestive system with Humira was a plus.
Anyway, thought I'd share. Hope this can contribute in some way...bottom line...we all react individually to different treatments...it's impossible to ever say how a RA drug will work/effect us unless we try it and go through the motions.
I tried this drug last month & I was extremely concerned about the side affects, as I seemed to experience several of them, it was thankfully quickly decided with Rheumy that I shouldn’t continue. I had tried one 18 months ago, the box came with a black box warning, which my Rheumy was extremely cross about & understood my concerns so I withdrew from the drug as I felt so unhappy about it which wasn’t helping at all, I only took one tablet a day, as there was a night & morning tablet, even that amount I had concerning side affects.
I have just started 3weeks now Abatacept so far so good!! 🤞. (All these drugs scare me) but I want to live my life, so like many we are stuck between a rock & a hard place. But I’m lucky I have a good Rheumy & he says it’s as much about what works for you as also what you are comfortable with, I’m giving this one a fair chance I’ve had 4 years of ups & downs since Cimzia (anti TNF) stopped working for me..,
But I’m sure for many the new drug will be fine & bring relief as like we all know we are all different, our Rheumys would have an easy task if one drug fits all.
Absolutely and it’s so interesting sharing our experiences here, some people have no side affects & thats really good to just get on with it, it makes it so much easier to deal with. I remember about 8 yrs again Newcastle university was granted a large some of money as they were so close to a daily pill for RA, I’m guessing this is the result, a friend who was doing her Dr training there kept me informed, as she wanted to become a Rheumy, i remember her saying it will be so easy, a daily pill over weekly or fortnightly injections, it really is fantastic progress & the keep at it fine tuning etc,
I would also love to have this drug along with many I would imagine! Great hope and encouragement on reading this post thismorning thankyou for putting this up..
You're welcome. I felt excited about this new drug. I understand others concern but as I've mentioned, it s bone drug and could be extremely effective. For many RA sufferers who have been trying multiple drugs with no relief from their syptoms will be extremely happy to try a new drug.
What's the difference between Baricitinib and this new drug? They are both JAK inhibitors. I have been taking Baricitinib since beg. July and it works. In the past I have tried Methotrexate on its own, Leflunomide, Benapali and Abatacept and none of those worked.
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