Safety of JAK-inhibitors – do we need to be concerned?

The EMA safety committee has initiated a review of the safety of JAK-inhibitors as a study has shown, that patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with tofacitinib, and who were at risk of heart disease, were more likely to experience cardiovascular events and further had a higher risk of developing cancer than those who received treatment belonging to the TNF-alpha inhibitors group. How can we approach a well-known effect of JAK-inhibitors combined with a concern on the other side? And are we looking into a »’class effect», meaning we must be concerned for all JAK-inhibitors? In this MEDtalk Dr. Roy M. Fleischmann, Dalla, Texas, gives his perspective of the concerning about JAK-inhibitors.