An Oral Targeted Therapy: RheumMadness 2022 Pim Kinases Scouting Report

Last year’s RheumMadness winner, avacopan, was approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration just a few months after the tournament ended. Pim Kinases could certainly win this year’s tournament, but fans may have to wait a bit longer for FDA approval.

Ben Kellogg, MD, is an internal medicine resident at Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, N.C. 

Lauren He, MD, is an internal medicine resident at the University of Chicago School of Medicine. 

David Leverenz, MD, is an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Rheumatology and Immunology at Duke University Medical School, Durham, N.C.

References

1. Maney NJ, Lemos H, Barron‐Millar B, et al. PIM kinases as therapeutic targets in early rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2021 Oct;73(10):1820–1830.
2. Ha Y, Choi YS, Han DW et al. PIM-1kinase is a novel regulator of proinflammatory cytoikine-mediated responses in rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2019 Jan 1;58(1):154–164.
3. Ytterberg S, Bhatt D, Mikuls T, et al. Safety and efficacy of tofacitinib vs. TNF inhibitors in RA patients aged 50 years or older with one or more cardiovascular risks: Results from a phase 3b/4 randomized safety trial [abstract 0831]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2021 Oct;73 (suppl 10).
4. Humby F, Durez P, Buch MH, et al. Rituximab versus tocilizumab in anti-TNF inadequate responder patients with rheumatoid arthritis (R4RA): 16-week outcomes of a stratified, biopsy-driven, multicentre, open-label, phase 4 randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2021 Jan 23;397(10271):305–317.
5. Vanderbilt University Medical Center Rheumatology Fellowship. Synovial B cells and therapy response (R4RA) scouting report. 2021 Mar 15.