Tofacitinib suppresses disease activity and febrile attacks in a patient with coexisting rheumatoid arthritis and familial Mediterranean fever

Acta Reumatol Port. 2017 Jan-Mar;42(1):88-90.

Abstract

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is the most common hereditary auto-inflammatory (periodic fever) syndrome, and usually successfully treated with colchicine. However, nearly 5-10% of FMF cases are resistant or intolerant to colchicine and treatment options are highly restricted in these cases. Biologics including anakinra, canakinumab, rilonacept, etanercept, infliximab, interferon-alpha, and tocilizumab are shown to have efficacy to control FMF attacks. Tofacitinib, a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, is an orally administered non-biologic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Herein we report a female patient with coexisting RA and colchicine resistant FMF whose FMF attacks and disease activity were completely controlled after treatment with tofacitinib, a small-molecule JAK3 inhibitor.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Arthritis, Rheumatoid / complications
  • Arthritis, Rheumatoid / drug therapy*
  • Familial Mediterranean Fever / complications
  • Familial Mediterranean Fever / drug therapy*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Piperidines / therapeutic use*
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors / therapeutic use*
  • Pyrimidines / therapeutic use*
  • Pyrroles / therapeutic use*

Substances

  • Piperidines
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors
  • Pyrimidines
  • Pyrroles
  • tofacitinib