Orally taken Rinvoq to be prescribed in general hospitals

DCs at Asan and Hanyang University Hospitals clear the drug actively trying to expand JAK inhibiting indication

Overcoming the handicap of a follow-on drug by quickly completed listing procedure

A third Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor in South Korea, Rinvoq is swiftly seeking for prescription authorization in general hospitals nationwide immediately after it was listed for the healthcare reimbursement.

 

An industry source reported AbbVie’s Rinvoq (upadacitinib) has been recently passed by the drug committees (DCs) at Seoul Asan Medical Center, Chungnam National University Hospital, Inje University Haeundae Hospital, Hanyang University Hospital, Seoul Medical Center, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Wonkwang University Hospital and Sahmyook Medical Center.

 

Listed by the South Korean health authority for reimbursement since Nov.

 

1, Rinvoq is indicated to treat adult rheumatoid arthritis patients, who qualify the diagnostic criteria set by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR); patients whose Disease Activity Score (DAS) 28 exceeds 5.1, or over 3.2 and under 5.1 but has developed joint damage confirmed by image exams; patients who did not respond sufficiently to two or more types of anti-rheumatic drugs including methotrexate (MTX) for three months each and six months total, or who halted the treatment due to adverse reaction.

 

Rinvoq was able to earn the reimbursement approval by using the approval-reimbursement linkage system and accepting the weighted average pricing of an alternative drug.

 

Only five months after the official marketing approval was granted in last June, the drug received the healthcare coverage.

 

The industry predicts the general hospitals clearing the prescription code would fully open up the market for the drug.

 

Regarding the treatment for an autoimmune disease, the interest on a JAK inhibitor, such as Xeljaz (tofacitinib), Olumiant (baricitinib) and Rinvoq, has been growing as it is the first to offer an oral option with confirmed effect equal to anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drugs to the patients.

 

.However, the JAK inhibitors’ impact in the market has not been too prominent as other biologics

 

.Compared to the market leader anti-TNF drug and popular anti-interleukin drugs, JAK inhibitors’ indications are limited to rheumatoid arthritis and few other diseases

 

.The first-in-class Xeljanz has expanded its indication to treat ulcerative colitis and psoriatic arthritis, and other follow-on drugs have ongoing studies to expand indication in autoimmune diseases like atopic dermatitis, Crohn’s disease and ankylosing spondylitis

 

.Rinvoq has demonstrated its treatment effect in 4,443 patients with severe level of active rheumatoid arthritis through five Phase III SELECT trials (SELECT-NEXT, SELECT-BEYOND, SELECT-MONOTHERAPY, SELECT-COMPARE and SELECT-EARLY)

 

.The result found using Rinvoq alone or with conventional synthetic DMARD (csCMARD) showed lower disease activity and improved remission rate, compared to using a placebo, methotrexate or Humira (adalimumab)

 

.An internal medicine professor at Hanyang University Rheumatoid Hospital, Dr

 

.Kim Tae-hwan commented, “Rinvoq was able to reach a level of clinical remission improved than the existing standard of care during a clinical trial conducted on various groups of patients

 

.As it also demonstrated an improved effect of reducing pain, patients may anticipate daily life free from pain, joint damage and faltering cognitive function with the help of the reimbursed option of Rinvoq.”