Is Tofacitinib useful for ankylosing spondylitis?

Tofacitinib (Tofacitinib)Indicated for active tonic syndrome with inadequate response to or intolerance to one or moreTNF blockers For the treatment of adult patients with spondylitis (AS), the recommended dosage of tofacitinib tablets is 5 mg, usually taken twice daily, and tofacitinib extended-release tablets, 11 mg, are usually taken once daily.

Tofacitinib was more effective than placebo in reducing symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis in one study involving patients who had not responded well enough to previous treatments. The primary measure of effectiveness is a 20% reduction in ASAS scores (back pain, morning stiffness and other symptoms) after 16 weeks of treatment. In the study involving 269 patients, approximately 56% of patients who received tofacitinib had a satisfactory reduction in ASAS scores, compared with approximately 29% of patients who received placebo. In addition, approximately 41% of patients treated with tofacitinib experienced a 40% reduction in ASAS score, compared with only 13% of patients in the placebo group. Because tofacitinib plays a role in the janus kinase pathway in stimulating erythropoiesis and is involved in immune cell function, inhibition of this pathway results in an increased risk of anemia, neutropenia, lymphopenia, cancer, and infection.

Tofacitinib has been launched in China and has entered the scope of Class B medical insurance. The common specification is tofacitinib citrate tablets. The price paid by medical insurance is relatively cheap, butthe reimbursement ratio is different in different regions, and the price after reimbursement will be different. Overseas, there are also generic drugs of tofacitinib produced in other countries. The price of each box produced by a Bangladeshi pharmaceutical factory is around 300 yuan (the price may fluctuate due to the exchange rate). The ingredients of domestic original drugs and foreign generic drugs are basically the same, and the prices of different specifications will be different.