Clinical efficacy of JAK inhibitors on enthesitis in spondyloarthropathy: A scoping literature review.

Background: Enthesitis is a key feature of spondyloarthropathy (SpA). In recent years, JAK inhibitors have emerged as efficacious drugs in the landscape of advanced therapies for patients with SpA.

Method: The aim of this scoping literature review was to search the published literature for studies on JAK inhibitors and their effects on enthesitis in patients with SpA and evaluate the data and summarise the findings. The clinical trials reviewed used the Leeds Enthesitis Index, Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada Enthesitis Index, and Maastrich Ankylosing Spondylitis Enthesitis Score as outcome measures.

Results: Tofacitinib, upadacitinib, and filgotinib had numerically greater reductions in the enthesitis scores when compared with placebo.

Conclusion: While the JAK inhibitors are therapeutic options for enthesitis in SpA, head-to-head studies are needed to compare the JAK inhibitors against the biological drugs (targeting TNF, IL-17, and IL-12/23) as well as studies showing the effects of JAK inhibitors on enthesitis imaging.