Table 1.
Patients’ clinical characteristics at initiation of treatment with each agent.
| Variable | BAR (n = 166) | TOF (n = 185) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 60.2 ± 13.5 | 60.7 ± 13.1 | 0.87 |
| Female sex (%) | 86.7 | 75.1 | 0.009 |
| Disease duration (years) | 12.6 ± 10.6 | 9.7 ± 8.3 | 0.016 |
| RF positivity (%) | 86.1 | 81.6 | 0.50 |
| ACPA positivity (%) | 82.0 | 83.1 | 0.93 |
| DAS28-ESR | 4.3 ± 1.3 | 4.3 ± 1.3 | 0.98 |
| CDAI | 17.2 ± 11.0 | 18.8 ± 11.1 | 0.16 |
| HAQ-DI | 0.9 ± 0.7 | 0.9 ± 0.8 | 0.81 |
| PSL use (%) | 42.8 | 50.3 | 0.19 |
| PSL dose (mg/day) | 4.7 ± 3.2 | 5.7 ± 3.3 | 0.022 |
| MTX use (%) | 64.5 | 57.3 | 0.048 |
| MTX dose (mg/week) | 8.7 ± 3.1 | 9.2 ± 3.3 | 0.35 |
| SASP use (%) | 11.4 | 23.8 | 0.004 |
| BUC use (%) | 7.8 | 8.6 | 0.93 |
| IGU use (%) | 13.3 | 17.8 | 0.30 |
| TAC use (%) | 15.7 | 9.7 | 0.13 |
| LEF use (%) | 0.0 | 0.0 | N.A |
| bDMARDs or JAKi naive (%) | 22.3 | 24.3 | 0.75 |
| 2nd bDMARDs or JAKi (%) | 23.5 | 24.3 | 0.86 |
| 3rd bDMARDs or JAKi (%) | 26.5 | 16.2 | 0.018 |
| ≥ 4th bDMARDs or JAKi (%) | 27.7 | 35.1 | 0.14 |
| Prior TNFi use (%) | 57.8 | 65.9 | 0.15 |
| Prior aIL-6R use (%) | 36.1 | 40.5 | 0.46 |
| Prior CTLA4-Ig use (%) | 31.9 | 25.4 | 0.22 |
| Prior JAKi use (%) | 20.5 | 6.5 | < 0.001 |
| Prior JAKi | TOF (n = 30), BAR (n = 1), PEF (n = 3) | TOF (n = 4), BAR (n = 8) | N.A |
Values are presented as mean ± standard deviation or percentage. Differences between the groups were assessed by the Mann–Whitney U test or the chi-squared test.
N.A. not applicable, BAR baricitinib, TOF tofacitinib, RF rheumatoid factor, ACPA anticyclic citrullinated peptide antibody, DAS28-ESR Disease Activity Score in 28 joints using erythrocyte sedimentation rate, CDAI clinical disease activity index, HAQ-DI Health Assessment Questionnaire disability index, PSL prednisolone, MTX methotrexate, SASP salazosulfapyridine, BUC bucillamine, IGU iguratimod, TAC tacrolimus, LEF leflunomide, bDMARDs biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, JAKi Janus kinase inhibitor, TNFi tumour necrosis factor inhibitors, aIL-6R anti-interleukin-6 receptor, CTLA4-Ig cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4-Ig, PEF peficitinib.