Key clinical point: In patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), tofacitinib led to a modest yet statistically significant reduction in disease activity at 3 months compared with adalimumab; however, the reduction in disease activity was not significantly different between the treatment groups at 9 months.
Major finding: The difference in the mean Disease Activity Score in 28 Joints using C-reactive protein between patients treated with tofacitinib vs adalimumab was modest yet statistically significant at 3 months (average treatment effect [ATE] −0.2; P = .02), whereas there was no significant difference at 9 months (ATE −0.03; P = .60).
Study details: This observational study emulated a randomized controlled trial using the data of 842 biologic or targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug-naïve patients with RA from the OPAL dataset who initiated adalimumab (n = 569) or tofacitinib (n = 273).
Disclosures: This study did not declare any specific funding source. Four authors declared being a director of, serving on advisory boards or speakers’ bureaus for, or receiving personal fees for consultancy from various sources.
Source: Deakin CT et al, for the OPAL Rheumatology Network . Comparative effectiveness of adalimumab vs tofacitinib in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in Australia. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(6):e2320851 (Jun 29). Doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.20851