New tablet

[Mccubbin]

Hello everyone, I wonder anyone can be of help.....what it is I have been on 13 different med, ie tablets, injections and infusions, so the last time I seen her, she said there was not much more they could do until a new drug came on the market....

I got a letter to say she was phoning me the end of February, so I was wondering if there was a new drug and is anyone on it, and how are they doing? Presently I am on methotrexate and rinvoq. So thank you for any help. Hope everyone is doing the best they can.... spring is just around the corner 😁.

[Mccubbin]

I forgot to add consultant 🤣

[oldtimer2]

I read about this in 2020 and I don't know how far it has got in the trials. It was in Phase three trials last year. And others are in the pipeline...so don't lose hope!

Otilimab is a monoclonal antibody, biologic drug, which targets and suppresses the inflammatory cytokine GM-CSF. In a multicentre, dose-ranging trial, led by Professor Chris Buckley at the Universities of Oxford and Birmingham, and sponsored by the Pharmaceutical company GSK, researchers explored the clinical effects of otilimab to prevent inflammation, tissue damage and pain in people with RA.

The study evaluated the effects of five doses of otilimab (22·5 mg, 45 mg, 90 mg, 135 mg, or 180 mg) versus a placebo. 222 patients with active RA received weekly subcutaneous injections for 5 weeks, which was reduced to every other week for one year. A range of patient-reported outcomes for function and pain were measured. Otilimab treatment led to a rapid reduction in tender and swollen joints but patients also reported very significant improvements in pain scores.

[nomoreheels in reply to oldtimer2]

It seems GSK have ditched otilimab OT after it failed to show the desired level of efficacy in two phase 3 trials. This from 27th October 2022 gsk.com/en-gb/media/press-r...

[oldtimer2 in reply to nomoreheels]

Thanks - I wondered why I haven't seen anything more - I missed that notification. My bot that searches for relevant articles failed me!

[nomoreheels in reply to oldtimer2]

Sack it! Seriously, it's a shame when a potentially new addition doesn’t make it when it's got as far as the phase 3 trial stage

[nomoreheels]

Rinvoq (upadacitinib), which you're on, was relatively recently licensed & there's another, olokizumab, but I think that's still in stage III trials. Unless, I wonder if it's a Janus Kinase (JAK) inhibitor that she's considering, if you've not tried them before? They are a relatively new class, each one is a tablet, further info from NRAS site nras.org.uk/resource/jak-in...

I hope whichever it is it works for you.

[Mmrr]

Hi there, I'm sorry to hear that you have not found your medication yet. I'm in a similar position I'm on meds 9 and 10 (Leflunomide and Filgotinib), due to poor bloods and other health issues I've had a period of stopping and starting them. I'm not sure how effective they actually are, but they are helping.

My new rheumatologist initially said that we approaching the end of treatment possibilities, but later said he didn't know why he was so pessimistic as there were a number of options still available.

I've found the JAKs to be most effective, I'm now on the 3rd one.

Sometimes a small change can make a big difference (from one JAK to another for example) has your rheumatologist explored all biologics and JAKs with you ?

To my knowledge there are 4 JAKs on the market (perhaps more) ....have you tried them all ?

Baricitinib, Toficitinib, Upadacitinib (rinvoq) and Filgotinib?

Maybe you should ask about biologics and JAKs that you haven't tried ?