Advances in pharmacotherapy for acute and recurrent pericarditis

Aspirin or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and colchicine are first-line treatments for acute and recurrent pericarditis. Drugs blocking the NACHT, leucine-rich repeat, and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome/interleukin-1β (IL-1β) axis are beneficial in patients with multiple recurrences.

In this review, the role of the NLRP3 inflammasome/IL-1β axis in the pathophysiology of pericarditis is discussed. Updates about novel therapies targeting IL-1 for recurrent pericarditis (RP) and practical considerations for their use are provided.

IL-1 inhibitors have been increasingly studied for RP in recent years. NLRP3 inflammasome is a key mediator in the pathophysiology of RP. IL-1β, its main product, can sustain its own production and feeds local and systemic inflammation. Randomized clinical trials testing anakinra (a recombinant form of the IL-1 receptor antagonist blocking IL-1α and IL-1β) and rilonacept (an IL-1α and IL-1β trap) have shown that IL-1 blockade reduces recurrences. These trials also helped in phenotyping patients with RP. Patients with multiple recurrences and signs of pericardial and/or systemic inflammation might benefit from IL-1 blockers in order to interrupt cyclic flares of auto-inflammation. Given this evidence, guidelines should consider incorporating IL-1 blockers.