Tofacitinib suppresses disease activity and febrile attacks in a patient with coexisting rheumatoid arthritis and familial Mediterranean fever

GÖK K., CENGİZ G., EROL K., Ozgocmen S.

Acta reumatologica portuguesa, vol.42, no.1, pp.88-90, 2017 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 42 Issue: 1
  • Publication Date: 2017
  • Journal Name: Acta reumatologica portuguesa
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.88-90
  • Keywords: Familial mediterranean fever, Treatment, Biological agents
  • Erciyes University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is the most common hereditary auto-inflammatory (periodic fever) syndrome, and usually successfully treated with colchicine. However, nearly 5-10% of FMF cases are resistant or intolerant to colchicine and treatment options are highly restricted in these cases. Biologics including anakinra, canakinumab, rilonacept, etanercept, infliximab, interferon-alpha, and tocilizumab are shown to have efficacy to control FMF attacks. Tofacitinib, a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, is an orally administered non-biologic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Herein we report a female patient with coexisting RA and colchicine resistant FMF whose FMF attacks and disease activity were completely controlled after treatment with tofacitinib, a small-molecule JAK3 inhibitor.