The information below is based on the summary of product characteristics approved by regulatory authorities. For full details from the SmPC ,please click here: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/2500/smpc#gref

Additional related ECCO e-Learning resources can be found under IBD Curriculum Topic 6.1-6.11

Introduction and Mechanism of Action

Tofacitinib is a potent, selective inhibitor of the JAK family. In enzymatic assays, tofacitinib inhibits JAK1, JAK2, JAK3, and to a lesser extent TyK2. In contrast, tofacitinib has a high degree of selectivity against other kinases in the human genome. In human cells, tofacitinib preferentially inhibits signalling by heterodimeric cytokine receptors that associate with JAK3 and/or JAK1 with functional selectivity over cytokine receptors that signal via pairs of JAK2. Inhibition of JAK1 and JAK3 by tofacitinib attenuates signalling of interleukins (IL-2, -4, -6, -7, -9, -15, -21) and type I and type II interferons, which will result in modulation of the immune and inflammatory response.

Therapeutic indications

Tofacitinib is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) who have had an inadequate response, lost response, or were intolerant to either conventional therapy or a biologic agent.

Dosing, administration

Induction treatment

The recommended dose is 10 mg given orally twice daily for induction for 8 weeks.

For patients who do not achieve adequate therapeutic benefit by week 8, the induction dose of 10 mg twice daily can be extended for an additional 8 weeks (16 weeks total), followed by 5 mg twice daily for maintenance. Tofacitinib induction therapy should be discontinued in any patient who shows no evidence of therapeutic benefit by week 16.

Maintenance treatment

The recommended dose for maintenance treatment is tofacitinib 5 mg given orally twice daily.

Tofacitinib 10 mg twice daily for maintenance treatment is not recommended in patients with UC who have known venous thromboembolism (VTE), major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and malignancy risk factors, unless there is no suitable alternative treatment available.

For patients with UC who are not at increased risk for VTE, MACE and malignancy, tofacitinib 10 mg orally twice daily may be considered if the patient experiences a decrease in response on tofacitinib 5 mg twice daily and failed to respond to alternative treatment options for ulcerative colitis such as tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNF inhibitor) treatment. Tofacitinib 10 mg twice daily for maintenance treatment should be used for the shortest duration possible. The lowest effective dose needed to maintain response should be used.

In patients who have responded to treatment with tofacitinib, corticosteroids may be reduced and/or discontinued in accordance with standard of care.

Retreatment in UC

If therapy is interrupted, restarting treatment with tofacitinib can be considered. If there has been a loss of response, reinduction with tofacitinib 10 mg twice daily may be considered. The treatment interruption period in clinical studies extended up to 1 year. Efficacy may be regained by 8 weeks of 10 mg twice daily therapy.

Oral use.

Tofacitinib is given orally with or without food.

For patients who have difficulties swallowing, tofacitinib tablets may be crushed and taken with water.

Contraindications

• Hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients listed in SmPC.

• Active tuberculosis (TB), serious infections such as sepsis, or opportunistic infections.

• Severe hepatic impairment.

• Pregnancy and lactation

Adverse effects

The most commonly reported adverse reactions in patients receiving tofacitinib 10 mg twice daily in the induction studies were headache, nasopharyngitis, nausea, and arthralgia.

In the induction and maintenance studies, across tofacitinib and placebo treatment groups, the most common categories of serious adverse reactions were gastrointestinal disorders and infections, and the most common serious adverse reaction was worsening of UC.

Overall, the safety profile observed in patients with UC treated with tofacitinib was consistent with the safety profile of tofacitinib in the RA indication.

Tabulated list of adverse reactions

The adverse reactions listed in the table below are from clinical studies in patients with RA, PsA, AS, and UC and are presented by System Organ Class (SOC) and frequency categories, defined using the following convention: very common (≥ 1/10), common (≥ 1/100 to < 1/10), uncommon (≥ 1/1,000 to < 1/100), rare (≥ 1/10,000 to < 1/1,000), very rare (< 1/10,000), or not known (cannot be estimated from the available data). Within each frequency grouping, adverse reactions are presented in the order of decreasing seriousness.

Table 8: Adverse reactions

Interactions with other Drugs

Potential for other medicinal products to influence the pharmacokinetics (PK) of tofacitinib

Since tofacitinib is metabolised by CYP3A4, interaction with medicinal products that inhibit or induce CYP3A4 is likely. Tofacitinib exposure is increased when coadministered with potent inhibitors of CYP3A4 (e.g., ketoconazole) or when administration of one or more concomitant medicinal products results in both moderate inhibition of CYP3A4 and potent inhibition of CYP2C19 (e.g., fluconazole) (see section 4.2).

Tofacitinib exposure is decreased when coadministered with potent CYP inducers (e.g., rifampicin). Inhibitors of CYP2C19 alone or P-glycoprotein are unlikely to significantly alter the PK of tofacitinib.

Coadministration with ketoconazole (strong CYP3A4 inhibitor), fluconazole (moderate CYP3A4 and potent CYP2C19 inhibitor), tacrolimus (mild CYP3A4 inhibitor) and ciclosporin (moderate CYP3A4 inhibitor) increased tofacitinib AUC, while rifampicin (potent CYP inducer) decreased tofacitinib AUC. Coadministration of tofacitinib with potent CYP inducers (e.g., rifampicin) may result in a loss of or reduced clinical response (see Figure 1). Coadministration of potent inducers of CYP3A4 with tofacitinib is not recommended. Coadministration with ketoconazole and fluconazole increased tofacitinib C_max, while tacrolimus, ciclosporin and rifampicin decreased tofacitinib C_max. Concomitant administration with MTX 15-25 mg once weekly had no effect on the PK of tofacitinib in RA patients.

Potential for tofacitinib to influence the PK of other medicinal products

Coadministration of tofacitinib did not have an effect on the PK of oral contraceptives, levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol, in healthy female volunteers.

In RA patients, coadministration of tofacitinib with MTX 15-25 mg once weekly decreased the AUC and C_max of MTX by 10% and 13%, respectively. The extent of decrease in MTX exposure does not warrant modifications to the individualised dosing of MTX.

Paediatric population

Interaction studies have only been performed in adults.

Special situations

Pregnancy

There are no adequate and well-controlled studies on the use of tofacitinib in pregnant women. Tofacitinib has been shown to be teratogenic in rats and rabbits, and to affect parturition and peri/postnatal development.

As a precautionary measure, the use of tofacitinib during pregnancy is contraindicated.

Women of childbearing potential/contraception in females

Women of childbearing potential should be advised to use effective contraception during treatment with tofacitinib and for at least 4 weeks after the last dose.

Breast-feeding

Based on published data, tofacitinib is excreted in human milk. The effects of tofacitinib on the breast‑fed infant from published literature and post-marketing data is unknown and is limited to a small number of cases with no causally related adverse events. A risk to the breast-fed child cannot be excluded. As a precautionary measure, the use of tofacitinib during breast-feeding is contraindicated.

Fertility

Formal studies of the potential effect on human fertility have not been conducted. Tofacitinib impaired female fertility but not male fertility in rats.