Longer Persistence Seen With Upadacitinib Versus TNFi in Rheumatoid Arthritis

MONDAY, July 6, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have longer persistence with upadacitinib than tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi), according to a study published online June 23 in Rheumatology.

Denis Choquette, M.D., from the University of Montréal, and colleagues conducted an observational study involving 990 patients with RA from three registries (two Canadian and one Swiss) who initiated upadacitinib or TNFi between Jan. 1, 2020, and June 30, 2023, to examine real-world persistence and effectiveness.

The researchers found that compared with patients using TNFi, those using upadacitinib had a lower risk for discontinuing treatment (hazard ratio, 0.602), with no effect for previous exposure to advanced treatment. For both groups, improved persistence was seen in association with concomitant use of any conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (hazard ratios, 0.225 and 0.516 for upadacitinib and TNFi, respectively) and methotrexate (hazard ratios, 0.604 and 0.694, respectively). The proportion of patients who achieved Clinical Disease Activity Index low disease activity or remission was similar among those receiving upadacitinib or TNFi at six months (70.8 versus 61.0 percent) and 12 months (70.5 versus 75.2 percent).

“Upadacitinib”s longer persistence was observed despite the upadacitinib-treated cohort having more severe disease profiles compared with those on other treatments, underscoring the efficacy of upadacitinib regardless of previous exposure to other advanced treatments,” the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text