Key clinical point: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with rituximab or Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) at onset of COVID-19 were more likely to have poor COVID-19 outcomes compared with those treated with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi).
Major finding: Odds of worse COVID-19 severity were 4.15 and 2.06 greater in patients on rituximab (odds ratio [OR], 4.15) and JAKi (OR, 2.06; both P less than .01) vs. those on TNFi. Patients on rituximab and JAKi therapy vs. TNFi were more susceptible to hospitalization (OR, 4.53 and 2.40, respectively; P less than .01) and death (OR, 4.57 and 2.04, respectively; P less than .01).
Study details: The data come from the analysis of 2,869 patients with RA and COVID-19 who were on abatacept (n=237), rituximab (n=364), interleukin 6 inhibitors (n=317), Janus kinase inhibitors (n=563), or TNFi (n=1,388) at the time of clinical COVID-19 onset.
Disclosures: The study received support from the American College of Rheumatology and the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology. The authors reported receiving research support, grants, and speaker’s/consultancy/personal fees from various sources.
Source: Sparks JA et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2021 May 28. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-220418 .