Is Janus Kinase Inhibition the Future of the Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis-associated Interstitial Lung Disease?

Abstract

Interstitial lung disease is a leading complication of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, no drugs are yet available to treat these pulmonary and articular diseases together, although several agents show promise. Janus kinase inhibitors have found increasing favour among rheumatologists in the treatment of active RA because they can rapidly reduce articular disease activity and because they have a simple oral dosing regime and good patient acceptability. There are many plausible reasons to believe that Janus kinase inhibitors may delay the onset and improve the outcomes of RA-associated interstitial lung disease, in tandem with their beneficial articular effects. This editorial describes the rationale for exploring this possibility further.