Global research trends and future directions for Janus kinase inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis: a comprehensive bibliometric analysis.

In recent years, the expanding clinical use of Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) has driven notable progress in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment, improving patient outcomes and spurring research to optimize their efficacy and safety. We performed a comprehensive bibliometric assessment on 1566 articles sourced from the Web of Science Core Collection. We conducted a systematic exploration of the development process and the core driving forces behind JAKi research for RA treatment using CiteSpace to reveal inherent patterns, track evolving trends, and pinpoint influential components in this research area. What is more, we used R 4.4.2 to conduct a time-trend analysis of the annual publications. Our findings revealed that the USA holds a preeminent position in JAKi research for RA treatment. Through an institutional co-occurrence analysis, we identified Pfizer Inc. as a central driving force, playing a pivotal role in advancing research and development in this area. In the author collaboration network, Takeuchi Tsutomu emerged as a vital scholarly contributor, as evidenced by his high publication centrality, indicating his significant influence on the research community. Journal co-occurrence analysis further highlighted ANN RHEUM DIS as a highly influential publication outlet for JAKi research related to RA. Keyword clustering revealed ten core themes: "activation," "inadequate response," "network meta-analysis," "jak inhibitors," "efficacy," "ankylosing spondylitis," "ulcerative colitis," "quality of life," "polycythemia vera," and "gout." In the keyword timeline viewer analysis, "inadequate response" and "ulcerative colitis" recently emerged as significant research topics within the JAKi-RA research landscape. Citation burst analysis indicates that "risk" and "management" in the clinical application of JAKi, as well as research related to "atopic dermatitis" and "tocilizumab," have emerged as prominent research frontiers, attracting increased attention from the research community and expanding the therapeutic applications of JAKi. Our research indicates that comorbid IMIDs associated with RA, along with the adverse reactions of JAKi during clinical application, will remain pressing challenges to be addressed in the future. As JAKi become more widely and deeply integrated into clinical management, their significant potential and value are increasingly evident, warranting further research.