Real-world comparative effectiveness of sarilumab versus Janus kinase inhibitors as monotherapy in rheumatoid arthritis
Authors' conclusion
SAR and JAKi showed no statistically significant differences in 12-month retention or disease control in MTX-free monotherapy settings.
Study context
- Population
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients receiving sarilumab (SAR) or Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) as methotrexate (MTX)-free monotherapymatched overall cohort
- Participants
- 252 patients
- Exposure
- Sarilumab vs JAKi as MTX-free monotherapy
- Outcome
- Drug retention and CDAI change
- Follow-up
- 12 months
Methodological detailsmulticentre, 1:1 propensity-score matched, treatment-line strata
- Multicentre
- 1:1 propensity-score matched
- Treatment-line strata
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Retention and Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) change did not differ significantly between SAR and JAKi across matched strata by prior b/tsDMARDs
- Propensity-score matched
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
AE-related discontinuation
- Higher with JAKi, yielding lower AE-specific retention
Glucocorticoid (GC) discontinuation (Phase 2, first-line b/tsDMARDs)
- GC sparing over time in both groups; greater increase in GC discontinuation for SAR than JAKi in Phase 2
Baseline predictors of low disease activity (LDA) (CDAI ≤ 10) · 12 months
- Higher C-reactive protein (CRP) and platelet count in both groups; additionally younger age and lower hemoglobin (Hb) in SAR
- Logistic regression
Safety
Overall adverse events (AEs)
- Less frequent with SAR than JAKi, driven by lower risks of infection including herpes zoster; other categories similarly infrequent
Parts of this Brief are withheld: the automatic checks could not confirm them against the abstract.
Original publication
Real-world comparative effectiveness of sarilumab versus Janus kinase inhibitors as monotherapy in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Res Ther. Published 2 January 2026. doi:10.
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