Earlier onset of acute venous thromboembolism with upadacitinib compared with tofacitinib during Janus kinase inhibitor therapy

The risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is increased in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Tofacitinib and upadacitinib are Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKis) that have emerged as effective therapies for these patients. However, their utilization is currently hampered by a warning for increased VTE risk, with studies to date predominantly performed in patients with rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis. There is limited data on the time to VTE occurrence in patients after initiating a JAKi.