Real-world comparative effectiveness of bDMARDs and JAK inhibitors in elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis

In this retrospective cohort study, we compared the retention rates and effectiveness of biologic disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) and targeted synthetic DMARDs (targeted disease modifying antirheumatic drug [tsDMARDs]: Janus kinase inhibitors [JAKi]) in elderly patients with RA. One hundred thirty-four elderly RA patients (≥65 years) who were initiated with bDMARDs (n = 80) or JAKi (n = 54) between 2016 and 2020 in our institute were enrolled in this analysis. Follow-up was conducted at 4-week intervals from the start of bDMARDs or JAKi. We compared the drug retention and clinical response at 24 week between elderly RA patients treated with bDMARDs and JAKi. In the demographic data, more disease duration, the proportion of previous bDMARDs use and less the proportion of glucocorticoid use in JAKi group was significantly observed compared to the bDMARDs group. Otherwise, there was no significant difference in the other variables between the bDMARDs and JAKi groups. In the JAKi group, drug retention rate was not significantly different compared to the bDMARDs group (HR: 0.723, 95% CI: 0.406–1.289, P = .266). Also, there was no significant difference in the proportion of patients achieving good or moderate European alliance of associations for rheumatology (EULAR) response at 24 week between these two groups (bDMARDs; 88.6% vs JAKi; 91.8%, P = .158). In elderly RA patients initiated with bDMARDs or JAKi, drug retention rates of these targeted therapies did not differ significantly between these two groups. These findings suggest that elderly RA patients can achieve similar clinical improvement after initiating bDMARDs or JAKi.