filgotinib maleate at a glance
Medicine class
JAK inhibitor and targeted synthetic disease-modifying treatment.
Licensed uses
Rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis in adults meeting the product-specific criteria.
Food
May be taken with or without food.
Tablet handling
Swallow whole; splitting, crushing or chewing has not been studied.
Important checks
Infection screening, blood counts, cholesterol assessment and vaccination review are required.
What is filgotinib maleate used for?
Licensed uses in adults are:
Moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis after an inadequate response or intolerance to one or more disease-modifying antirheumatic treatments; it may be used alone or with methotrexate.
Moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis after an inadequate response, loss of response or intolerance to conventional or biological treatment.
How does filgotinib maleate work?
JAK enzymes carry inflammatory signals into cells. Filgotinib reversibly inhibits this signalling, preferentially through JAK1, reducing inflammatory gene activity.
filgotinib maleate preparations and strengths
Tablet
Route: Oral
Strengths: 100 mg, 200 mg
How to take filgotinib maleate
Follow the specialist's prescription and do not alter treatment yourself.
Swallow the tablet whole with water.
It may be taken with or without food.
Do not split, crush or chew the tablet.
Keep the moisture-absorbing desiccant in the bottle and do not swallow it.
filgotinib maleate side effects
Common or expected effects
- Upper respiratory tract infection
- Urinary tract infection
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Reduced lymphocyte count
- Reduced blood phosphate
Get urgent medical advice
- Serious infection, including pneumonia, sepsis, tuberculosis or opportunistic infection
- Shingles
- Venous blood clot, including deep-vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism
- Heart attack or stroke symptoms
- Markedly reduced blood-cell counts
filgotinib maleate in pregnancy
Filgotinib is contraindicated during pregnancy because animal studies indicate potential fetal harm and human data are limited. Effective contraception is required during treatment and for at least one week after stopping. Contact the specialist promptly if pregnancy is planned or occurs during treatment.
filgotinib maleate while breastfeeding
Filgotinib should not be used while breastfeeding because transfer into human milk is unknown and risk to the infant cannot be excluded. Discuss alternative treatment or feeding arrangements with the specialist.
filgotinib maleate interactions
Tell the prescriber and pharmacist about all medicines and planned vaccinations.
Ciclosporin, tacrolimus, biological treatments or other JAK inhibitors
Combination is not recommended because additive immune suppression and infection risk cannot be excluded.
Live vaccines
Avoid during or immediately before treatment; vaccination status should be reviewed beforehand.
Fenofibrate, carvedilol, diltiazem or simvastatin
These may inhibit an enzyme involved in filgotinib metabolism in laboratory studies, although the clinical importance is unknown.
Common questions about filgotinib maleate
Answers are fully visible for fast scanning and source review.
Is filgotinib maleate an immunosuppressant?
It reduces immune-system signalling through the JAK pathway. This helps control inflammation but can make infections more likely or serious.
Can it be taken with methotrexate?
For rheumatoid arthritis, it is licensed alone or with methotrexate. Other potent immunosuppressants, biological treatments and JAK inhibitors are not recommended alongside it.
Can it be taken with food?
Yes. Food does not need to be coordinated with the tablet.
Can the tablets be crushed or split?
Sources
These sources were used to prepare and review this medicine page.
Prepared and reviewed by the iatroX editorial team.