What does baricitinib do and do: How does it help treat rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases?

Baricitinib is an oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, mainly used to treat autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It inhibits the activity of JAK enzyme, interferes with intracellular signaling pathways, reduces inflammatory responses, and thereby relieves arthritis symptoms. Baricitinib can target the immune system, inhibit overactive immune responses, reduce joint swelling, pain and joint damage, and significantly improve patients' function and quality of life.

For patients with rheumatoid arthritis, baricitinib is approved to treat adults who have had an inadequate response to conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs ). It can be used alone or in combination with other immunosuppressive drugs. By inhibiting the JAK enzyme, baricitinib can reduce joint damage caused by the immune system, help control the disease, slow down degenerative changes in joints, and improve patients' joint mobility and pain perception.

In addition to rheumatoid arthritis, baricitinib is used to treat other immune-mediated diseases. For example, baricitinib is approved to treat severe atopic dermatitis (eczema). Atopic dermatitis is an inflammatory disease of the skin caused by an overreaction of the immune system. Baricitinib can reduce the inflammatory response of the skin, alleviate itching and skin lesions, and improve the patient's skin condition and quality of life by inhibiting the JAK-STAT signaling pathway.

In addition, baricitinib has also shown certain efficacy in the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) associated with new coronavirus infection. Since the excessive immune response caused by COVID-19 can lead to severe inflammatory reactions, baricitinib reduces this excessive immune response by regulating the immune system and helps improve the condition, especially for those patients who require immune regulation in the severe stage. Nonetheless, when using baricitinib to treat COVID-19, it is necessary to strictly follow the doctor's instructions to ensure safety and efficacy.

Reference materials:https://www.mims.com/hongkong/drug/info/baricitinib?mtype=generic