Have you ever heard of JAKi? Janus Kinase inhibitors (or JAKi, therefore), are drugs used to combat certain chronic inflammatory diseases – such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, ulcerative colitis, atopic dermatitis or alopecia areata.
These immunosuppressive drugs (which are quite recent, since the two main ones were authorized in Europe in 2017) “block” the action of a family of enzymes, the janus kinases, which are particularly involved in the production of inflammatory substances.
But beware: in a press release published on April 17, 2023, the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM) has just banned the use of JAKi “unless there is no therapeutic alternative” in patients aged 65 and over, in patients who smoke or have smoked for a long time, as well as in patients with cardiovascular or malignant tumor risk factors.
For all patients treated with JAKi, regular dermatological examinations
The reason ? These drugs”can cause serious side effects such as major cardiovascular problems, blood clots, serious infections, cancer and even death“. The drugs concerned are Cibinqo® (abrocitinib), Jyseleca® (filgotinib), Olumiant® (baricitinib), Rinvoq® (upadacitinib) and Xeljanz® (tofacitinib).
In particular, Xeljanz® (tofacitinib)”increases the risk of major cardiovascular events, cancers, including skin cancer, venous thromboembolism, serious infections and death“.
For patients who are not affected by these restrictions, the ANSM still recommends regular dermatological examinations because “skin cancer risk“.
Source : ANSM
