Janus kinase inhibitors in China: a bibliometric analysis of research trends (2017–2026)

Abstract

This paper maps how JAK inhibitor research in China developed between 2017 and 2026, examining its knowledge structure, the topics that drew attention, and the directions now emerging. JAK inhibitor publications with at least one Chinese affiliation were identified in the Web of Science Core Collection between January 2017 and August 2026. Screening yielded 390 articles. Keyword networks were built in VOSviewer, and the remaining analysis ran on a custom Python pipeline covering drugs, JAK subtypes, indications, keywords, institutions, provinces, journals, impact factors, article types, and research types. The findings show that output rose more than seven-fold, from 10 papers in 2017 to 71 by August 2026. Tofacitinib (80), baricitinib (51), and upadacitinib (50) drew the most attention, and JAK1-oriented work led the subtypes (235 publications, 60.3%). Rheumatoid arthritis (64), atopic dermatitis (48), and inflammatory bowel disease (46) were the most studied indications. Of the original articles, 87.6% were clinical. Beijing (113), Shanghai (92), and Zhejiang (69) published the most. Keywords in the last three years increasingly centred on efficacy, safety, real-world studies, upadacitinib, and atopic dermatitis. The paper concludes that Chinese JAK inhibitor research grew rapidly between 2017 and 2026, moving in step with a string of market approvals. The literature remains clinical in focus and geographically concentrated, and it is turning progressively toward dermatologic indications and real-world evidence.