Kinase inhibitors: a new tool for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Despite aggressive immunosuppression with biologics and traditional DMARDs, achieving disease remission remains an unmet goal for most rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. In this context, there is a demand for novel treatment strategies, with kinase inhibitors expected to enrich the existing therapeutic armamentarium. In RA some kinases participate in the generation of pathogenic signaling cascades. Pharmacologic inhibition of kinases that mediate pathogenic signal transduction heralds a new era for RA therapeutics. Oral inhibitors of JAKs, Syk, PI3Ks, MAPKs and Btk are under development or in clinical trials in patients with RA. In this review, we discuss the scientific rationale for the use of kinase inhibitors in RA and summarize the experience from clinical trials.