Description
Tofacitinib, sold under the brand Xeljanz among others, is a medication used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ulcerative colitis. It is in the janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor class, discovered and developed by the National Institutes of Health and Pfizer. Tofacitinib is a small molecule, not a biologic.
Medical uses
- Rheumatoid arthritis
Tofacitinib citrate is approved for medical use in the United States with an indication “to treat adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis who have had an inadequate response to, or who are intolerant of, methotrexate.” In the European Union, in combination with methotrexate, tofacitinib citrate is indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in adults… - Ulcerative colitis
In May 2018, the FDA approved tofacitinib citrate “for the treatment of adult patients in the U.S. with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis.” Tofacitinib citrate is the first oral JAK inhibitor approved for chronic use in ulcerative colitis.
