The charity has contributed significantly to an application to get a new drug treatment approved for use in NHS Scotland. I am delighted to say that this has been successful and Upadacitinib (called Rinvoq by the manufacturer) will be available as an option for treating GCA. It is a steroid-sparing drug which can help patients to achieve zero Prednisolone on a faster timescale and thus reduce their cumulative dose of steroids. There are restrictions, however, and Upadacitinib will only be considered if Tocilizumab (already approved but only available in special circumstances) has failed or is not considered to be appropriate for a particular patient. We do not know how this will affect treatment strategies in practice, but we welcome the arrival of a new possibility for patients with GCA. We are not qualified to give medical advice so please address any questions to your professional medical advisers – usually Consultant Rheumatologists for GCA patients.
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