Tofacitinib Hypothesis-generating, Pilot Study for Corticosteroid-Dependent Sarcoidosis

Primary Objectives: Objective 1: Test the hypothesis that the addition of tofacitinib will allow patients with sarcoidosis to have 50% or greater reduction in their corticosteroid requirement without a significant decrease in pulmonary function testing, and with a similar quality of life as measured by a validated questionnaire (1). Objective 2: Test the hypothesis that the addition of tofacitinib will result in significantly decreased expression of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)-1 dependent gene expression. Outline: This is a 16-week open-label, interventional, proof of concept, hypothesis-generating study. All subjects will receive Tofacitinib 5mg twice daily for 16 weeks. After four weeks on Tofacitinib, the corticosteroid will be tapered per a pre-defined protocol; once a reduction of 50% has been achieved, any further taper will be per physician discretion. After 16 weeks, subjects who meet the primary end-point will be permitted an optional one year open-label extension.