Many patients with RA prefer oral drug therapy, triggering an unmet need for potent oral medications.17 Using synthetic, orally available drugs to target intracellular signalling pathways has the potential to meet this need, potentially matching biological efficacy within a pill.2–6 The JAK-STAT pathways provided rational targets due to their involvement in cytokine signalling, including cytokines thought to be active in RA, such as interleukins, interferons and growth factors.5,8. This evidence concerns the gene SOAT1 and rheumatoid arthritis.