Pfizer Deepens Scientific Knowledge to Create More Options for Autoimmune Patients

Autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and ulcerative colitis (UC) cause physical and emotional hardship for millions of people. Pfizer has led the way in understanding how proteins called janus kinases (JAKs) contribute to these diseases and pioneered the study of JAK inhibitors (JAKI), drugs that block the activity of those proteins. In 2012, we introduced tofacitinib, a JAKI that is approved in the U.S. and the EU for RA, PsA and UC.

Our JAK leadership doesn't end there. We are tailoring the design and selectivity of our JAKIs to hopefully create disease-targeted, effective and safer drugs for a growing range of autoimmune conditions. In 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) awarded Breakthrough Therapy designations to two of our novel JAKIs - one for alopecia areata, a disease that has no approved treatment and causes hair loss, often with psychological effects, and another for moderate to severe eczema(aka atopic dermatitis), a chronic and potentially disabling skin condition.

As we look to 2019 and beyond, we will continue to drive JAK science forward to positively impact the lives of more people struggling with distressing and burdensome autoimmune conditions.