According to a press release from the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR), the long-term use of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors and biologics may not result in an increased risk of developing cancer or cardiovascular disease in patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis compared with the use of conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs). The new findings were presented by Ahn et al at the EULAR 2023 Congress and simultaneously published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. Investigators analyzed cancer and cardiovascular outcomes of 100,000 patients who had new-onset seropositive rheumatoid arthritis and received either treatment with csDMARDs or with JAK inhibitors or biologics. The researchers found that patients who received JAK inhibitors or biologics experienced a lower incidence rate ratios for cancer (0.88) and for cardiovascular disease (0.91) compared with those who received csDMARDs. Despite the positive results, the researchers noted that patients who received JAK inhibitors or biologics may have been more likely to develop site-specific lung, hepatic, prostate, and skin cancers, underscoring the need for further studies analyzing the potential effects of taking these agents.
June 19, 2023