EXPLORING NEW POSSIBILITIES: THE USE OF TOFACITINIB IN THE TREATMENT OF ULCERATIVE COLITIS

Abstract

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the colon and rectum, sparing the small intestine. Treatment aims to control inflammation, relieve symptoms, induce and maintain disease remission, and improve patients’ quality of life. Tofacitinib is a drug belonging to the Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor class and has been used for the treatment of UC. The objective of this review was to assess the efficacy and safety of Tofacitinib. Studies evaluating the use of the drug in the treatment of UC were selected. The search was conducted using the PubMed and LILACS databases, with the descriptors “ulcerative colitis” and “tofacitinib” combined using the Boolean operator “AND”. Articles published between 2020 and 2025 were included, with open access, and limited to observational studies and controlled clinical trials. Exclusion criteria included duplicate articles and those unrelated to the topic. In total, 25 studies were selected. Based on the analyzed studies, Tofacitinib represents an innovation in the treatment of UC, being indicated for the induction and maintenance of remission in adult patients with moderate to severe active ulcerative colitis who had an inadequate response, loss of response, or intolerance to conventional therapy. However, its use is mainly associated with mild adverse events such as infections, with more serious events being infrequent. Therefore, despite its efficacy and safety, the use of Tofacitinib requires a careful and individualized approach to achieve all therapeutic goals and minimize associated risks.