Patient-Reported Outcomes in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Treated with Baricitinib: A Prospective Observational...

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Clinical Pharmacology
• Patient-Reported Outcomes

Background:

• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) significantly impacts daily living and quality of life.
• Baricitinib is a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor used for RA treatment.
• Real-world effectiveness data in diverse populations are crucial for treatment optimization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate baricitinib's effectiveness on activities of daily living (ADL) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Japanese RA patients.
• To explore the association between early symptom improvement and 12-month disease remission.
• To provide real-world evidence on baricitinib therapy in a Japanese RA cohort.

Main Methods:

• A 12-month real-world study of 353 RA patients (≥20 years) initiating baricitinib in Japan.
• Assessment of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) including pain, fatigue, morning stiffness, ADL (Locomo 5), and HRQoL (EQ-5D-5L, SF-36).
• Logistic regression analysis to identify predictors of 12-month remission.

Main Results:

• Baricitinib treatment led to substantial reductions in pain (mean 48.4 to 25.2 mm), fatigue (mean 42.3 to 24.3 mm), and morning stiffness (mean 51.8 to 15.8 min).
• Clinically meaningful improvements were observed in ADL (Locomo 5: 6.9 to 4.7) and HRQoL (EQ-5D-5L index: 0.700 to 0.829) over 12 months.
• Early improvements in pain and fatigue at baseline were significant predictors of achieving disease remission at 12 months.

Conclusions:

• Baricitinib demonstrated significant improvements in PROs, including ADL and HRQoL, for RA patients in Japan.
• Early symptom relief, particularly in pain and fatigue, is a key indicator for predicting mid-term disease remission.
• This study supports baricitinib's role in improving patient outcomes and achieving remission in RA management.