Genetic predictors of efficacy and toxicity of iguratimod in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Iguratimod (IGU) is a novel disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Like other DMARDs, IGU exhibited significant differences in effectiveness and safety. Aim: The aim of this study was to identify genetic predictors of efficacy and toxicity of IGU in patients with RA. Materials & methods: Seven SNPs from IGU-metabolizing genes were genotyped in 272 IGU-treated patients with RA. Results: ABCG2 rs2231142 A allele conferred a higher response to IGU, while NAT2 rs1495742 G carriersconferred a lower response to IGU. CYP2C19*2 rs4244285 A carriers had higher risk for IGU-induced toxicity compared to the GG carriers. Conclusion: Our study suggests that the polymorphisms of ABCG2 (rs2231142), NAT2 (rs1495741) and CYP2C19*2 (rs4244285) may help to predict the therapeutic effectiveness and toxicity of IGU in patients with RA.