New Medications Are Needed for Children With Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Objective To document the need for additional Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved medications for the treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Methods The electronic medical records of JIA patients treated at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) and data from JIA patients enrolled in the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) Registry were included in this study. Unmet medication need was defined in 2 ways: (a) the presence of chronically uncontrolled JIA, defined as a physician global assessment of JIA activity ≥3 (on a 0–10 scale, where 0 = inactive) OR ≥3 joints with active arthritis OR a patient global assessment of well‐being ≥3 (on a 0–10 scale, where 0 = very well), despite sequential use of ≥2 biologic disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs); and (b) the use of ≥1 bDMARD not approved for any JIA category. Results At CCHMC, 829 of 1,599 JIA patients (52%) were treated with ≥1 bDMARD, and 304 (19%) had been exposed to ≥1 unapproved bDMARD. In the CARRA Registry, 4,766 of 7,379 children (65%) had received ≥1 bDMARD, and 1,122 (15%) had been prescribed ≥1 unapproved bDMARD. Of those children treated with ≥2 bDMARDs for whom complete data were available, 52% (255 of 487) at CCHMC and 45% (527 of 1,159) in the CARRA Registry had chronically uncontrolled JIA despite the use of ≥2 bDMARDs. Conclusion Despite the availability of bDMARDs currently approved for JIA, there is persistent need for additional therapies to control JIA signs and symptoms. Since FDA approval is critical to ensure access to bDMARDs, the study and licensing of new medications is critical to address the unmet medication need and to further improve JIA outcomes.