Daily Medication Pearl: Tofacitinib (Xeljanz)

Medication Pearl of the Day: Tofacitinib (Xeljanz)

Indication: Xeljanz can be used for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and polyarticular course juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Insight:

• Dosing: Xeljanz 5 mg twice daily or Xeljanz XR 11 mg once daily up to 22 mg per day.
  • Dosage form:
    • Xeljanz tablets: 5 mg, 10 mg
    • Xeljanz XR Tablets: 11 mg, 22 mg
    • Xeljanz oral solution: 1 mg/mL
• Adverse events (AEs): Most common AEs are upper respiratory tract infection, nasopharyngitis, diarrhea, headache, and herpes zoster.
• Mechanism of action: Xeljanz is a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor. JAKs are intracellular enzymes that transmit signals arising from cytokine or growth factor-receptor interactions on the cellular membrane to influence cellular processes of hematopoiesis and immune cell function.
• Manufacturer: Pfizer

Sources:

• Homepage (xeljanzhcp.com)
• xeljanz - Google Search