Common medicine for autoimmune diseases works on giant cell arteritis (Rinvoq)

Medical Xpress / Perelman School of Medicine at the Univ of Penn / New England Journal of Medicine ^ | June 25, 2025 | Frank Otto / Daniel Blockmans et al

[ConservativeMind]

A common medication already used for autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis is effective for patients with giant cell arteritis, according to findings.

Giant cell arteritis often leads to headaches, vision loss, and even aortic aneurysms. But nearly half of patients taking upadacitinib in a new Phase 3 clinical trial achieved sustained remission—while reducing their dependence on glucocorticoids (typically called "steroids"), the most common treatment.

The main current treatment for giant cell arteritis includes the daily use of glucocorticoids, especially prednisone. Unfortunately, glucocorticoids can impact patients with serious side effects.

However, because researchers have already determined that a cellular communication pathway called the JAK-STAT signaling pathway plays a significant role in giant cell arteritis, it presents an alternate treatment target, particularly for Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, which can block interleukin-6, interferon-y, and other proteins called cytokines that are key to inflammation generated by the immune system.

The new trial included 100 sites across 24 countries. Patients with giant cell arteritis treated daily with prednisone were randomized to one of three different groups: the control group that received placebo medications; a group that received 7.5 milligrams of upadacitinib daily; and a group that received 15 milligrams of upadacitinib daily. All groups were expected to slowly but completely reduce their prednisone use: by week 52 for the placebo group and week 26 for the upadacitinib groups.

At the end of their participation in the year-long study, 46% of those taking the higher dose of upadacitinib achieved sustained remission, meaning that they had no signs or symptoms of giant cell arteritis between weeks 12 and 52, a clinically and statistically significant benefit. That was compared to 29% for the placebo group that achieved remission. In the lower-dose upadacitinib group, 41% achieved remission, but this was not statistically significantly different from the placebo group.

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TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS:

[ConservativeMind]

Upadacitinib (Rinvoq) caused sustained remission in 46% of giant cell arteritis patients.

This is available today.

[ConservativeMind]

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[NEMDF]

It looks like the cost is over $8,000 per month. Is this correct? Who can afford it?

[Spacetrucker]

Sounds promising, but with the possible cancer side-effects, plus increased risk of tuberculosis, why bother?

[Spacetrucker]

And im saying this be cause I also suffer from rheumatoid arthritis.

[sauropod]

Bkmk