On June 4, AbbVie announced that upadacitinib (Rinvoq) has been indicated for pediatric patients aged 2 years and older with polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and psoriatic arthritis who didn’t respond to previous treatment with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, according to a report from PR Newswire. The pharmaceutical company also noted that a weight-based oral solution for upadacitinib would also be available for this indication.

Polyarticular JIA affects nearly 300,000 pediatric patients in the United States and is characterized by inflammation in at least five joints lasting for 6 weeks or more. Further, patients with psoriatic arthritis related to JIA often experience skin lesions in addition to joint inflammation. When left untreated, these conditions may inflict lasting damage on the joints, inhibit normal function, and limit participation in everyday activities.

The new indication comes after recent studies reported positive pharmacokinetic and safety findings in pediatric patients aged 2 to 17 years.

“Understanding the needs [of pediatric patients] today and knowing the likelihood of disease in adulthood underscores the need for additional treatment options. Having a treatment option available for patients who do not respond well to TNF [inhibitors] addresses a need for the health-care community, patients, and their families,” concluded Aarat Patel, MD, an adult and pediatric rheumatologist at the Bon Secours Rheumatology Center at St. Mary’s Hospital.

No conflicts of interest were disclosed.