Comparative efficacy and safety of 100 mg and 200 mg filgotinib administered to patients with active rheumatoid arthritis: A Bayesian network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Objectives We assessed the relative efficacy and safety of once-daily administration of 100 and 200 mg filgotinib (a JAK1-selective inhibitor) in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Materials and methods We conducted a Bayesian network meta-analysis combining the direct and indirect evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that examined the efficacy and safety of filgotinib in patients with active RA. Results Five RCTs involving 3,920 patients met the inclusion criteria. There were 15 pairwise comparisons, including 8 direct comparisons and 7 interventions. The ACR20 response rate was significantly higher in the filgotinib 200 mg + methotrexate (MTX) group than in the placebo or placebo + MTX group (odds ratio (OR): 12.39, 95% credible interval (CrI): 3.36 - 45.98.10; OR: 2.68, 95% CrI: 1.80 - 4.39). Compared to the placebo group, the filgotinib 100 mg, adalimumab 40 mg + MTX, filgotinib 200 mg, and placebo + MTX groups showed a significantly higher ACR20 response rate. The ranking probability based on the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) indicated filgotinib 200 mg + MTX was likely to achieve the best ACR20 response rate (SUCRA = 0.902), followed by filgotinib 100 mg + MTX (SUCRA = 0.694), filgotinib 100 mg (SUCRA = 0.675), adalimumab 40 mg + MTX (SUCRA = 0.661), filgotinib 200 mg (SUCRA = 0.305), placebo + MTX (SUCRA = 0.259), and placebo (SUCRA = 0.005). The safety based on the number of serious adverse events (SAEs) did not differ significantly among 6 six interventions. Conclusion Filgotinib 100 and 200 mg administration once daily in combination with MTX was the most efficacious intervention for active RA, with no significant risk of SAEs.