• Results of the M19-130 (SLEek) Phase 2 trial of upadacitinib given alone or as a combination therapy (ABBV-599) met the primary endpoint of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) Responder Index (SRI-4) and steroid dose less than or equal to 10 mg prednisone equivalent once per day at week 24 in patients with moderately to severely active SLE1,2
  • No new safety signals were identified with upadacitinib, and a similar safety profile was observed for the combination therapy (ABBV-599) as for treatment with upadacitinib alone2,3,4,5,6,7
  • SLE is a complex autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks healthy tissue of the musculoskeletal system, skin, kidneys, lungs and other critical organs, leading to symptoms such as fatigue, joint pain and impaired function.8,9

NORTH CHICAGO, IL, USA I March 23, 2023 I AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) today announced topline results from a Phase 2 study of upadacitinib (RINVOQ®, 30 mg) given alone or as combination therapy (ABBV-599) with a Bruton’s Tyrosine Kinase inhibitor (elsubrutinib, 60 mg), once daily in patients with moderately to severely active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).1 The SLEek study met the primary endpoint of SLE Responder Index (SRI-4) and steroid dose less than or equal to 10 mg prednisone equivalent once per day at week 24 in the upadacitinib 30 mg group.1,2 Based on the results, AbbVie is advancing its clinical program of upadacitinib in SLE to Phase 3.

“Systemic lupus erythematosus is a very unpredictable life-long condition and the way it affects a patient can change over time. Therefore, there is a critical need for additional treatment options,” said Roopal Thakkar, M.D., senior vice president, development and regulatory affairs and chief medical officer, AbbVie. “With a quarter-century of experience and commitment to the treatment of rheumatic diseases, our focus remains on areas of high unmet need like systemic lupus erythematosus, and we look forward to further evaluation of the potential benefits that upadacitinib could bring to patients.”

A total of 341 participants enrolled in the Phase 2 study and were subsequently divided into five experimental groups according to treatment regimen (upadacitinib in combination with placebo; upadacitinib, at two different doses, combined with elsubrutinib; elsubrutinib in combination with placebo; placebo only).1 The primary outcome measure was achievement of the SRI-4 with a steroid dose less than or equal to 10 mg prednisone equivalent once daily at week 24.1 SRI-4 is defined as a greater or equal to 4-point reduction in SLE Disease Activity Index 2000 score without worsening of the overall condition or the development of significant disease activity in new organ systems.1

The safety results for the upadacitinib 30 mg arm of the study were generally consistent with the known safety profile of upadacitinib, with no new safety signals identified.2-7 Types of adverse events reported with upadacitinib combined with elsubrutinib were similar to those reported for patients treated with upadacitinib alone.2 Full results from the study will be presented at a future medical congress. Use of upadacitinib and elsubrutinib in SLE are not approved and their safety and efficacy have not been evaluated by regulatory authorities.

Additional information about the study can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov under the identifier NCT03978520.

About Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex, multi-organ, autoimmune disorder characterized by the production of pathogenic autoantibodies and tissue deposition of immune complexes.8,9 In SLE, the body’s immune system attacks healthy tissue of the musculoskeletal system, skin, kidneys, and other critical organs, leading to symptoms such as fatigue, joint pain and impaired function.8,9 The prevalence of SLE is higher in women compared to men, and SLE occurs more frequently in people of color.10,11

About RINVOQ® (upadacitinib)

Discovered and developed by AbbVie scientists, RINVOQ is a selective and reversible JAK inhibitor that is being studied in several immune-mediated inflammatory diseases.3-7,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19 Based on enzymatic and cellular assays, RINVOQ demonstrated greater inhibitory potency for JAK-1 vs JAK-2, JAK-3 and TYK-2.3 The relevance of inhibition of specific JAK enzymes to therapeutic effectiveness and safety is not currently known.3

Phase 3 trials of RINVOQ in rheumatoid arthritis, atopic dermatitis, psoriatic arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, giant cell arteritis and Takayasu arteritis are ongoing.3-7,12-19 The use of upadacitinib in systemic lupus erythematosus is not approved and its safety and efficacy have not been evaluated by regulatory authorities.

US Indications and Important Safety Information about RINVOQ® (upadacitinib)3

USES

RINVOQ is a prescription medicine used to treat:

  • Adults with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) when 1 or more medicines called tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers have been used and did not work well or could not be tolerated.
  • Adults with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) when 1 or more medicines called TNF blockers have been used and did not work well or could not be tolerated.
  • Adults with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis (UC) when 1 or more medicines called TNF blockers have been used and did not work well or could not be tolerated.
  • Adults with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS) when 1 or more medicines called TNF blockers have been used and did not work well or could not be tolerated.
  • Adults with active non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) with objective signs of inflammation when a TNF blocker medicine has been used and did not work well or could not be tolerated.

It is not known if RINVOQ is safe and effective in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ulcerative colitis, ankylosing spondylitis, or non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis.

  • Adults and children 12 years of age and older with moderate to severe eczema (atopic dermatitis [AD]) that did not respond to previous treatment and their eczema is not well controlled with other pills or injections, including biologic medicines, or the use of other pills or injections is not recommended.

RINVOQ is safe and effective in children 12 years of age and older weighing at least 88 pounds (40 kg) with atopic dermatitis.

It is not known if RINVOQ is safe and effective in children under 12 years of age with atopic dermatitis.

Globally, prescribing information varies; refer to the individual country product label for complete information.

About AbbVie in Rheumatology

For more than 20 years, AbbVie has been dedicated to improving care for people living with rheumatic diseases. Anchored by a longstanding commitment to discovering and delivering transformative therapies, we pursue cutting-edge science that improves our understanding of promising new pathways and targets, ultimately helping more people living with rheumatic diseases reach their treatment goals. For more information, visit AbbVie in rheumatology.

About AbbVie  

AbbVie’s mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people’s lives across several key therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, virology, women’s health and gastroenterology, in addition to products and services across our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram.

  1. A Study to Investigate the Safety and Efficacy of Elsubrutinib and Upadacitinib Given Alone or in Combination in Participants With Moderately to Severely Active Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) (SLEek). ClinicalTrials.gov. 2022. Available at: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03978520?term=M19-130&draw=2&rank=2. Accessed March 2023.
  2. AbbVie. Data on File: ABVRRTI75671
  3. Abbvie, Ltd. RINVOQ (upadacitinib) [highlights of prescribing information]. Accessed March 20, 2023. https://www.rxabbvie.com/pdf/rinvoq_pi.pdf.  
  4. Danese S, Vermeire S, Zhou W, et al. Upadacitinib as induction and maintenance therapy for moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis: results from three phase 3, multicentre, double-blind, randomised trials. The Lancet. 2022;399(10341):2113-2128. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00581-5. 
  5. Mease PJ, Lertratanakul A, Anderson JK, et al. Upadacitinib for psoriatic arthritis refractory to biologics: SELECT-PsA 2. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. 2021;80(3):312-320. doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-218870.  
  6. Guttman-Yassky E, Teixeira HD, Simpson EL, et al. Once-daily upadacitinib versus placebo in adolescents and adults with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (Measure Up 1 and Measure Up 2): results from two replicate double-blind, randomised controlled phase 3 trials. The Lancet. 2021;397(10290):2151-2168. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00588-2.  
  7. Van der Heijde D, Song IH, Pangan AL, et al. Efficacy and safety of upadacitinib in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis (SELECT-AXIS 1): a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2/3 trial. Lancet. 2019;394(10214):2108-2117. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(19)32534-6.  
  8. Catalina MD, Owen KA, Labonte AC, et al. The pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus: Harnessing big data to understand the molecular basis of lupus. J Autoimmun. 2020 Jun;110:102359. doi: 10.1016/j.jaut.2019.102359. Epub 2019 Dec 2. PMID: 31806421.
  9. Mayo Clinic. Lupus – Symptoms & Causes. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lupus/symptoms-causes/syc-20365789. Accessed on August 26, 2022.
  10. Feldman CH, Hiraki LT, Liu J, Fischer MA, Solomon DH, Alarcón GS, Winkelmayer WC, Costenbader KH. Epidemiology and sociodemographics of systemic lupus erythematosus and lupus nephritis among US adults with Medicaid coverage, 2000-2004. Arthritis Rheum. 2013 Mar;65(3):753-63. doi: 10.1002/art.37795. PMID: 23203603; PMCID: PMC3733212.
  11. Myles J. Lewis, Ali S. Jawad, The effect of ethnicity and genetic ancestry on the epidemiology, clinical features and outcome of systemic lupus erythematosus, Rheumatology, Volume 56, Issue suppl_1, April 2017, Pages i67–i77, https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/kew399.
  12. A Study of the Efficacy and Safety of Upadacitinib (ABT-494) in Participants with Moderately to Severely Active Ulcerative Colitis. clinicaltrials.gov; 2022. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03653026. Accessed August 26, 2022.
  13. A Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Upadacitinib (ABT-494) for Induction and Maintenance Therapy in Participants with Moderately to Severely Active Ulcerative Colitis (UC). clinicaltrials.gov; 2022. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02819635. Accessed August 26, 2022.
  14. A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Upadacitinib in Subjects with Takayasu Arteritis (TAK) (SELECT-TAK). clinicaltrials.gov; 2021. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04161898. Accessed August 26, 2022.
  15. A Study to Evaluate Efficacy and Safety of Upadacitinib in Adult Participants with Axial Spondyloarthritis. clinicaltrials.gov; 2021. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04169373. Accessed August 26, 2022.  
  16. Burmester GR, Kremer JM, Van den Bosch F, et al. Safety and efficacy of upadacitinib in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and inadequate response to conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (SELECT-NEXT): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial. Lancet. 2018;391(10139):2503-2512. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31115-2.  
  17. Cohen SB, van Vollenhoven RF, Winthrop KL, et al. Safety profile of upadacitinib in rheumatoid arthritis: integrated analysis from the SELECT phase III clinical programme. Ann Rheum Dis. Published online October 28, 2020:annrheumdis-2020-218510. doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-218510.  
  18. A Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Upadacitinib in Participants with Giant Cell Arteritis. clinicaltrials.gov; 2022. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03725202. Accessed August 26, 2022.  
  19. A Maintenance and Long-Term Extension Study of the Efficacy and Safety of Upadacitinib (ABT-494) in Participants with Crohn’s Disease Who Completed the Studies M14-431 or M14-433. clinicaltrials.gov; 2022. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03345823. Accessed August 26, 2022.

SOURCE: AbbVie