Opening Lecture

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS), also referred to as radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (r-axSpA), is a challenging, inflammatory rheumatic condition primarily impacting the sacroiliac joints and often extending to the spine. The prevalence of axSpA, encompassing both radiographic AS and non-radiographic axSpA, is estimated to vary between 0.2% and 0.5% among Chinese adults, depending on the classification criteria employed. Treatment objectives for AS focus on improving the patient’s quality of life, function, and social involvement by managing inflammation and other disease symptoms. To achieve these goals, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), the Spondylitis Association of America (SAA), and the Spondyloarthritis Research and Treatment Network (SPARTAN) advocate the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) as the first-line treatment for AS, followed by biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) like TNF inhibitors. While it has been common practice to initiate treatment with a TNF inhibitor or IL-17 inhibitor, the updated recommendations from the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) and the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) now suggest the consideration of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors for patients with persistent high disease activity despite conventional therapy. Furthermore, the updated guidelines propose switching to another biologic DMARD (TNF inhibitor or IL-17 inhibitor) or JAK inhibitor if the first biologic DMARD proves ineffective. Despite recent advancement, there remains an unmet need for effective therapies in the treatment of AS. Across various biologic studies, only 40-50% of patients achieve an ASAS40 response. Moreover, approximately one-third of patients fail to attain low disease activity according to the Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS), and 65% do not achieve inactive disease status on ASDAS after one year of bDMARD therapy. There is a lack of oral treatment options for AS beyond NSAIDs, as all current biologics are administered via injection or infusion. Targeting JAK-mediated pathways with an oral option holds promise as a potential approach for treating adult AS patients.