Abstract
BACKGROUND: Tofacitinib (TOFA), a newly introduced Janus kinase inhibitor, has been approved for the treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). In this real-life study, we describe the effectiveness of TOFA treatment as well as possible interruptions and the reasons for discontinuations among all consecutive JIA patients who started TOFA treatment. METHODS: We reported data from 53 JIA patients from the catchment area of the Helsinki University Hospital who consecutively started TOFA treatment between February 2022 and October 2024. Physicians evaluated the patients' disease activity and treatment efficacy at each visit. Disease activity was assessed using Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score 10 (JADAS10). RESULTS: The majority of patients (96%) started TOFA due to active disease following previous treatment failure. Both JADAS10 scores and the patients' active joint counts decreased significantly during the first 3 months of TOFA treatment. The Kaplan-Meier estimate indicated a 30% discontinuation of TOFA treatment during the 12-month follow-up period. CONCLUSION: In this real-life study involving 53 JIA patients, TOFA treatment was initiated consecutively and demonstrated effectiveness after 3 months, with no serious side effects reported.