Publications by authors named "Josef S Smolen"

Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to determine effective cutoff scores for the Psoriatic Arthritis Impact of Disease questionnaire (PsAID12) based on disease activity measures in patients with PsA.
  • Using data from the ReFlaP study, researchers analyzed scores to define disease states such as remission and varying impact levels, employing statistical methods to establish these cutoffs.
  • Results indicated that the PsAID12 score had high diagnostic performance against established benchmarks, but further validation and expert consensus are needed to confirm the proposed cutoffs for clinical use.
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Objective: Patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) may not reflect patients with PsA in clinical practice. Our objective was to perform a metaanalysis comparing the characteristics of patients with PsA in RCTs of biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) to patient profiles in a real-world study.

Methods: Data sources included (1) a scoping literature review of phase III RCTs of bDMARDs in PsA published between 2015 and 2020, and (2) an international observational study of patients with PsA starting a bDMARD enrolled between 2015 and 2018 (PsABio; ClinicalTrials.

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Objective: To examine the association between study characteristics and the harms reported in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on biological and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) in patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA).

Methods: We searched MEDLINE for all Cochrane reviews and for systematic reviews published since April 2015. RCTs were eligible if they included patients with IA receiving b/tsDMARD, compared with any comparator arm.

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Objective: Baricitinib is an oral, reversible and selective inhibitor of Janus kinase (JAK)1 and JAK2 that is approved as monotherapy or in combination with methotrexate for the treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have responded inadequately to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. Evidence supporting the approved monotherapy indication is growing in real-world settings that reflect routine clinical practice.

Methods: Results of separate analyses of real-world data from the observational prospective RA-BE-REAL, Erlangen Baricitinib cohort, the BSRBR-RA, and Swiss Clinical Quality Management in Rheumatic Diseases (SCQM) registries, and the retrospective ORBIT-RA and SUSTAIN long-term chart reviews were reported, documenting baseline data and outcomes for a total of 932 patients with active RA receiving baricitinib as monotherapy.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to show that CT-P47 is as effective as the EU-approved tocilizumab (r-TCZ) in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.
  • Conducted as a double-blind, phase III trial, 471 patients were randomized to receive either CT-P47 or r-TCZ, with efficacy measured primarily through changes in Disease Activity Score at specified weeks.
  • Results indicated that both treatments had similar efficacy, pharmacokinetics, safety, and immunogenicity profiles, confirming CT-P47's equivalence to r-TCZ even after patients switched from r-TCZ to CT-P47.
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CT-P47 is a candidate biosimilar of tocilizumab. This 12-week, randomized, double-blind, parallel-design, phase 1 study aimed to demonstrate pharmacokinetic (PK) equivalence of CT-P47 and reference tocilizumab. Participants were healthy Japanese adults aged 18-55 years.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to evaluate how initial rheumatoid factor (RF) levels affect the effectiveness and drug concentrations of two rheumatoid arthritis treatments: certolizumab pegol (CZP) and adalimumab (ADA).
  • Conducted over 104 weeks, the research analyzed data based on patients' RF levels, specifically comparing those with RF levels below or above 204 IU/ml.
  • Results indicated that CZP maintained drug concentration and effectiveness better in patients with higher RF levels compared to ADA, suggesting CZP might be a more effective treatment option for these individuals.
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Objective: To report long-term safety and tolerability of olokizumab (OKZ) in combination with methotrexate (MTX) in subjects with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA), using pooled data from three randomised clinical trials (RCT) followed by open-label extension (OLE) study.

Methods: Cumulative data from three phase 3 core trials and their OLE were analysed. Safety variables assessed included treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs), serious AEs (SAEs), AEs of special interest and laboratory results.

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Background: This study compared the pharmacokinetics (PK), immunogenicity, and safety of candidate tocilizumab biosimilar, CT-P47, administered via auto-injector (CT-P47 AI) or pre-filled syringe (CT-P47 PFS), in healthy Asian adults.

Research Design And Methods: In this phase I, multicenter, open-label study, participants were randomized 1:1 to receive a single 162 mg/0.9 mL dose of CT-P47 via AI or PFS.

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Objective: Our objective was to evaluate the association of serum biomarkers with baseline psoriatic arthritis (PsA) disease activity, pharmacodynamic effects of deucravacitinib on biomarker levels, and the relationship between biomarkers and clinical responses to deucravacitinib.

Methods: The phase 2 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03881059) randomly assigned 203 patients with PsA 1:1:1 to placebo, deucravacitinib at 6 mg once daily (QD), or deucravacitinib at 12 mg QD.

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Objective: Subjects with subclinical psoriatic arthritis (PsA), defined as the presence of arthralgia in psoriasis (PsO), are at higher risk of PsA but scant real-world data exist. Our aims were to (1) estimate the probability of PsA development in subclinical PsA, (2) characterise subclinical PsA symptoms and (3) determine the clinical patterns at PsA diagnosis.

Methods: Patients with PsO, mainly subclinical PsA, were evaluated longitudinally in two European cohorts.

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Purpose: Associations between systemic glucocorticoid (SGC) exposure and risk for adverse outcomes have spurred a move toward steroid-sparing treatment strategies. Real-world changes in SGC exposure over time, after the introduction of steroid-sparing treatment strategies, reveal areas of successful risk mitigation as well as unmet needs.

Patients And Methods: A population-based ecological study was performed from the Optimum Patient Care Research Database to describe SGC prescribing trends of steroid-sparing treatment strategies in primary care practices before and after licensure of biologics in the United Kingdom from 1990 to 2019.

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Article Synopsis
  • This text outlines a systematic literature review that evaluates the efficacy and safety of various pharmacological treatments for psoriatic arthritis (PsA), focusing on disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).
  • A thorough search of databases like Medline and EMBASE helped to identify relevant studies published between 2019 and 2022, analyzing both treatment effectiveness and potential adverse effects.
  • The review found that different classes of drugs, including conventional and biologic DMARDs, were effective in alleviating PsA symptoms and improving quality of life, while also confirming that safety concerns align with previous findings from 2019.
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Objective: New modes of action and more data on the efficacy and safety of existing drugs in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) required an update of the EULAR 2019 recommendations for the pharmacological treatment of PsA.

Methods: Following EULAR standardised operating procedures, the process included a systematic literature review and a consensus meeting of 36 international experts in April 2023. Levels of evidence and grades of recommendations were determined.

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Introduction: Biosimilars have improved access to biologic medicines; however, historical thinking may jeopardize the viability of future markets.

Areas Covered: An expert panel of eight diverse European stakeholders provided insights about rethinking biosimilars and cost-savings, reducing patient access inequalities, increasing inter-market equity, and improving education. The insights reported here (Part 2) follow a study that provides perspectives on leveraging the holistic benefits of biosimilars for market sustainability based on independent survey results and telephone interviews of stakeholders from diverse biosimilar markets (Part 1).

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Introduction: Approved biosimilars exhibit comparable efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity to reference products. This report provides perspectives on the societal value of biosimilars within Europe and potential factors that have influenced market dynamics.

Methods: An independent, self-administered survey or one-on-one in-depth interview was used to collect viewpoints about the impact of biosimilar medicines within European markets.

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The Advances in Targeted Therapies meets annually, convening experts in the field of rheumatology to both provide scientific updates and identify existing scientific gaps within the field. To review the major unmet scientific needs in rheumatology. The 23rd annual Advances in Targeted Therapies meeting convened with more than 100 international basic scientists and clinical researchers in rheumatology, immunology, infectious diseases, epidemiology, molecular biology and other specialties relating to all aspects of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases.

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Objectives: Osteoclasts (OCs) are myeloid-derived multinucleated cells uniquely able to degrade bone. However, the exact nature of their myeloid precursors is not yet defined.

Methods: CD11c-diphtheria toxin receptor (CD11cDTR) transgenic mice were treated with diphtheria toxin (DT) or phosphate buffered saline (PBS) during serum transfer arthritis (STA) and human tumour necrosis factor transgenic (hTNFtg) arthritis and scored clinically and histologically.

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Objective: We analyzed the impact of amino acid (AA) availability on the inflammatory response in arthritis.

Methods: We stimulated rheumatoid arthritis (RA) fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in the presence or absence of proteinogenic AAs and measured their response by QuantSeq 3' messenger RNA sequencing, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Signal transduction events were determined by Western blot.

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Dr Charles L Christian arrived in New York City in 1953, having grown up in Wichita, Kansas, and graduating from medical school at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio. In New York, Dr Christian embarked on training in internal medicine at Columbia's Presbyterian Hospital where he met an individual who would shape the course of his career, Dr Charles Ragan, a founder of the Arthritis Foundation. Dr Christian, or Chuck as he was usually called, went on to shape the developing field of rheumatology, advancing understanding of our most complex diseases as an investigator, master clinician, mentor, and academic leader.

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Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that affects the joints and produces pain, swelling, and stiffness. It has a lifetime prevalence of up to 1% worldwide. An extract of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TwHF), a member of the Celastraceae herbal family widely available in south China, has been used for treatment of RA since 1960s.

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Fundamental insight gained over the last decades led to the discovery of cytokines as pivotal drivers of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis/psoriasis arthritis, inflammatory bowel diseases, atopic dermatitis and spondylarthritis. A deeper understanding of the pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory effects of various cytokines has prompted new cytokine-targeting therapies, which revolutionised the treatment options in the last years for patients with inflammatory disorders. Disease-associated immune responses typically involve a complex interplay of multiple cytokines.

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Objective: To develop and validate definitions for disease flares in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) based on the quantitative Simplified and Clinical Disease Activity Indices (SDAI, CDAI).

Methods: We analysed RA treatment courses from the Norwegian disease-modifying antirheumatic drug registry (NOR-DMARD) and the Vienna RA cohort. In a receiver operating curve analysis, we determined flare definitions for absolute changes in SDAI and CDAI based on a semiquantitative patient anchor.

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Objectives: To update the EULAR recommendations for the management of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) based on emerging new evidence.

Methods: An international Task Force formed the questions for the systematic literature reviews (January 2018-December 2022), followed by formulation and finalisation of the statements after a series of meetings. A predefined voting process was applied to each overarching principle and recommendation.

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