Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors are a class of pharmacologic agents used to treat a wide range of immunologic diseases. We present a systematic study of the pancreatitis risk with TNF inhibitor use through a retrospective case-control design disproportionality analysis of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database, with data ranging from the fourth quarter of 2012 (2012 Q4) to the second quarter of 2024 (2024 Q2). Our analysis reveals an increasing trend in the pancreatitis risk with TNF inhibitors when stratified by year, with all of the TNF inhibitors studied exhibiting significant association with pancreatitis in the year 2023. Furthermore, these results hold even when controlling for sex, age, concurrent use of azathioprine, and the indication for treatment. Our findings flag the necessity for a careful investigation and monitoring of pancreatitis risk in patients undergoing TNF inhibitor therapy, especially in recent years.
Keywords: disproportionality analysis; food and drug administration adverse event reporting system (faers); medication-induced pancreatitis; pharmacovigilance; tnf alpha inhibitor.
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