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A narrative review on tofacitinib: The properties, function, and usefulness to treat coronavirus disease 2019

Seyed Mohammad Reza Hashemian1,2, Tayebeh Farhadi2

  • 1Clinical Tuberculosis and Epidemiology Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Masih Daneshvari Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

International Journal of Critical Illness and Injury Science
|January 31, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Tofacitinib, a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, shows promise in treating COVID-19 pneumonia by reducing cytokine storm. It may offer a safer and more effective therapeutic option for respiratory complications compared to other JAK inhibitors.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Pharmacology
  • Pulmonology

Background:

  • Cytokine storm, involving interleukin-6, exacerbates COVID-19 severity.
  • The Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) pathway activation leads to hyperinflammation and acute respiratory distress syndrome.
  • Inhibiting the JAK/STAT pathway may mitigate cytokine storm formation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the characteristics of tofacitinib, a JAK inhibitor.
  • To evaluate the potential of tofacitinib in managing COVID-19 pneumonia and associated respiratory injury.
  • To compare the safety and efficacy of tofacitinib with other JAK inhibitors in COVID-19 patients.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of tofacitinib's properties and clinical relevance.
  • Analysis of tofacitinib's mechanism in inhibiting inflammatory pathways.
  • Comparative assessment of adverse events associated with tofacitinib versus other JAK inhibitors like baricitinib.

Main Results:

  • Tofacitinib inhibits multiple inflammatory pathways, suggesting therapeutic potential for COVID-19.
  • It may be a viable candidate for treating acute and post-COVID-19 respiratory damage.
  • Tofacitinib appears to have a potentially safer profile than other JAK inhibitors, with fewer severe adverse events like thrombotic events.

Conclusions:

  • Tofacitinib demonstrates promise as a therapeutic agent for COVID-19 pneumonia due to its anti-inflammatory properties.
  • Its ability to inhibit the JAK/STAT pathway makes it a potential treatment for cytokine storm.
  • Tofacitinib may be a safer and more effective option for managing COVID-19 respiratory complications compared to other JAK inhibitors.
Keywords:
Coronavirus disease 2019Janus kinase inhibitorspneumoniasyndrome coronavirus 2tofacitinib

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