Janus kinase inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease: where do we stand and what may be the future?

Objective: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is rare, but it is one of the most frequent extra-articular manifestations and a relevant cause of morbidity and mortality in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Over the past few years, Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKis) have been reported to have promising efficacy in the treatment of active RA, but recent concerns have been raised about their safety profile, namely malignancy and cardiovascular disease, limiting their use to certain patient categories.

Methods: The objective of this narrative review is to summarize the current evidence of the efficacy and safety of JAKis in RA-ILD management, investigating a possible emerging role for this drug class in such subset of patients.

Results: Current studies focusing on JAKis in RA-ILD are scarce, but they globally report an overall stabilization of respiratory symptoms, functional data, and radiographic extension of ILD. In some cohorts, JAKis determined even an encouraging improvement in lung disease, and few reports presented good tolerability of JAKis in combination with antifibrotics. Concerning the safety profile, no significant increased risk of pulmonary infection has been reported.

Conclusions: Thus far, evidence regarding the role of JAKis in the treatment of RA-ILD remains relatively limited, and additional prospective studies are needed to better understand the place of JAKis, if any, in preventing/stabilizing ILD in RA patients.