Biography

Prof. Tahir is a specialist in rheumatology and general medicine. He is a consultant at the Royal Free London NHS Trust and is actively involved in the latest research and the use of new treatments in arthritis. He has a specialist interest in Axial Spondyloarthritis.

He is the winner of the BSR best practice award winner in the category of emerging best practice and also a winner of two prestigious NIHR PI recognition awards for research and awarded the NASS Gold Standard Changemaker award for the Axial SpA service.

Prof. Tahir is an Honorary Clinical Professor in the Division of Medicine at University College London. He is the Medical Secretary of the Clinical Exam Board MRCP (PACES) and is on the board of trustees of the charity NASS.

GMC number

4332044

• Quek E, Tahir H, Kumar P, Hastings R, Jha R. Treatment of COVID-19: a review of current and prospective pharmacotherapies. Br J Hosp Med (Lond). 2021 Mar 2;82(3):1-9. doi: 10.12968/hmed.2021.0112. Epub 2021 Mar 12. PMID: 33792391.
• Tahir H, Grewal S. Current unmet needs and emerging novel pharmacotherapies in psoriatic arthritis. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2021 Dec 3:1-4. doi: 10.1080/14656566.2021.2006184. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34787511.
• Tahir H, Byravan S, Fardanesh A, Moorthy A. Promising Treatment Options for Axial Spondyloarthritis: An Overview of Experimental Pharmacological Agents. J Exp Pharmacol. 2021 Jul 2;13:627-635. doi: 10.2147/JEP.S262340. PMID: 34257507; PMCID: PMC8269276.
• Tahir H, Moorthy A, Chan A. Impact of Secukinumab on Patient-Reported Outcomes in the Treatment of Ankylosing Spondylitis: Current Perspectives. Open Access Rheumatol. 2020; 12:277-292 https://doi.org/10.2147/OARRR.S265806
• RECOVERY Collaborative Group. Aspirin in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial. Lancet. 2022 Jan 8;399(10320):143-151. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01825-0. Epub 2021 Nov 17. PMID: 34800427; PMCID: PMC8598213.
• Coates LC, Pillai SG, Tahir H, Valter I, Chandran V, Kameda H, Okada M, Kerr L, Alves D, Park SY, Adams DH, Gallo G, Hufford MM, Hojnik M, Mease PJ, Kavanaugh A; SPIRIT-P3 Study Group. Withdrawing Ixekizumab in Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis Who Achieved Minimal Disease Activity: Results From a Randomized, Double-Blind Withdrawal Study. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2021 Sep;73(9):1663-1672. doi: 10.1002/art.41716. Epub 2021 Aug 6. PMID: 33682378; PMCID: PMC8457232.
• Mease PJ, Landewé R, Rahman P, Tahir H, Singhal A, Boettcher E, Navarra S, Readie A, Mpofu S, Delicha EM, Pricop L, van der Heijde D. Secukinumab provides sustained improvement in signs and symptoms and low radiographic progression in patients with psoriatic arthritis: 2-year (end-of-study) results from the FUTURE 5 study. RMD Open. 2021 Jul;7(2):e001600. doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2021-001600. PMID: 34330846; PMCID: PMC8327842.
• Taribagil P, Creer D, Tahir H. 'Long COVID' syndrome. BMJ Case Rep. 2021 Apr 19;14(4):e241485. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2020-241485. PMID: 33875508; PMCID: PMC8057566
• Mease PJ, Smolen JS, Behrens F, Nash P, Liu Leage S, Li L, Tahir H, Gooderham M, Krishnan E, Liu-Seifert H, Emery P, Pillai SG, Helliwell PS; SPIRIT H2H study group. A head-to-head comparison of the efficacy and safety of ixekizumab and adalimumab in biological-naïve patients with active psoriatic arthritis: 24-week results of a randomised, open-label, blinded-assessor trial. Ann Rheum Dis. 2020 Jan;79(1):123-131. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2019-215386. Epub 2019 Sep 28. PMID: 31563894; PMCID: PMC6937408.
• Mease PJ, Kavanaugh A, Reimold A, Tahir H, Rech J, Hall S, Geusens P, Pellet P, Delicha EM, Pricop L, Mpofu S; FUTURE 1 study group. Secukinumab Provides Sustained Improvements in the Signs and Symptoms of Psoriatic Arthritis: Final 5-year Results from the Phase 3 FUTURE 1 Study. ACR Open Rheumatol. 2020 Jan;2(1):18-25. doi: 10.1002/acr2.11097. Epub 2019 Nov 14. PMID: 31943974; PMCID: PMC6957920.
• van der Heijde D, Mease PJ, Landewé RBM, Rahman P, Tahir H, Singhal A, Boettcher E, Navarra S, Zhu X, Ligozio G, Readie A, Mpofu S, Pricop L. Secukinumab provides sustained low rates of radiographic progression in psoriatic arthritis: 52-week results from a phase 3 study, FUTURE 5. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2020 Jun 1;59(6):1325-1334. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kez420. PMID: 31586420; PMCID: PMC7244782.
• Smolen JS, Mease P, Tahir H, Schulze-Koops H, de la Torre I, Li L, Hojnik M, Sapin C, Okada M, Caporali R, Gratacós J, Goupille P, Liu Leage S, Pillai S, Nash P. Multicentre, randomised, open-label, parallel-group study evaluating the efficacy and safety of ixekizumab versus adalimumab in patients with psoriatic arthritis naïve to biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drug: final results by week 52. Ann Rheum Dis. 2020 Oct;79(10):1310-1319. doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-217372. Epub 2020 Jul 13. PMID: 32660977; PMCID: PMC7509529.
• Amani L, Warraich R, Patel N, Tahir H. COVID-19 and rheumatology: is shielding really necessary? Br J Hosp Med (Lond). 2020 Jun 2;81(6):1-3. doi:10.12968/hmed.2020.0284. Epub 2020 Jun 3. PMID: 32589537.
• Pavelka K, Kivitz AJ, Dokoupilova E, Blanco R, Maradiaga M, Tahir H, Wang Y, Porter BO, Stefanska A, Richards HB, Rohrer S; MEASURE 3 study group. Secukinumab 150/300 mg Provides Sustained Improvements in the Signs and Symptoms of Active Ankylosing Spondylitis: 3-Year Results from the Phase 3 MEASURE 3 Study. ACR Open Rheumatol. 2020 Feb;2(2):119-127. doi: 10.1002/acr2.11102. Epub 2020 Jan 20. PMID: 31957970; PMCID: PMC7011421.
• Adshead R, Donnelly S, Knight P, Tahir H. Axial Spondyloarthritis: Overcoming the Barriers to Early Diagnosis-an Early Inflammatory Back Pain Service. Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2020 Aug 17;22(10):59. doi: 10.1007/s11926-020-00923-6. PMID:32808099.
• Warraich R, Amani L, Mediwake R, Tahir H. Immunosuppression drug advice and COVID-19: are we doing more harm than good? Br J Hosp Med (Lond). 2020 Jun 2;81(6):1-3. doi: 10.1298/hmed.2020.0312. Epub 2020 Jun 22. PMID: 32589546.
• Kivitz AJ, Nash P, Tahir H, Everding A, Mann H, Kaszuba A, Pellet P, Widmer A, Pricop L, Abrams K. Efficacy and Safety of Subcutaneous Secukinumab 150 mg with or Without Loading Regimen in Psoriatic Arthritis: Results from the FUTURE 4 Study. Rheumatol Ther. 2019 Sep;6(3):393-407. doi: 10.1007/s40744-019-0163-5. Epub 2019 Jun 21. PMID: 31228101; PMCID: PMC6702584.
• Mease PJ, Kavanaugh A, Reimold A, Tahir H, Rech J, Hall S, Geusens P, Pellet P, Delicha EM, Pricop L, Mpofu S; FUTURE 1 study group. Secukinumab Provides Sustained Improvements in the Signs and Symptoms of Psoriatic Arthritis: Final 5-year Results from the Phase 3 FUTURE 1 Study. ACR Open Rheumatol. 2020 Jan;2(1):18-25. doi: 10.1002/acr2.11097. Epub 2019 Nov 14. PMID: 31943974; PMCID: PMC6957920.
• Baraliakos X, Braun J, Deodhar A, Poddubnyy D, Kivitz A, Tahir H, Van den Bosch F, Delicha EM, Talloczy Z, Fierlinger A. Long-term efficacy and safety of secukinumab 150 mg in ankylosing spondylitis: 5-year results from the phase III MEASURE 1 extension study. RMD Open. 2019 Sep 3;5(2):e001005. doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2019-001005. PMID: 31565244; PMCID: PMC6744073.
• Priyanka Nemchand, Hasan Tahir, Rapti Mediwake, Jeffrey Lee. Cytokine storm and use of anakinra in a patient with COVID-19 BMJ Case Rep 2020;13: e237525. doi:10.1136/bcr-2020-237525
• Byravan S, Fardanesh A, Tahir H, Moorty A. ‘Digital health strategies in the war against COVID-19 and beyond’, British Journal of Hospital Medicine, 81(12), pp. 1–3. doi: 10.12968/hmed.2020.0684.
• Byravan S, Fardanesh A, Tahir H, Moorthy A. Emerging COVID-19 vaccines: A rheumatology perspective. Int J Rheum Dis. 2021 Feb;24(2):144-146. doi: 10.1111/1756-185X.14048. PMID: 33523564.
• Fardanesh A, Byravan S, Moorthy A, Tahir H. COVID-19 and rheumatology: Reflecting on the first wave and preparing for the second wave. Int J Rheum Dis. 2021 Jan;24(1):7-9. doi: 10.1111/1756-185X.14062. PMID: 33459529.
• Quek E, Tahir H. COVID-19 vaccines: what happened to evidence-based medicine? Br J Hosp Med (Lond). 2021 Feb 2;82(2):1-4. doi: 10.12968/hmed.2021.0047. Epub 2021 Feb 3. PMID: 33646036
• Amani L, Warraich R, Patel N, Tahir H. COVID-19 and rheumatology: is shielding really necessary? Br J Hosp Med (Lond). 2020 Jun 2;81(6):1-3. doi: 10.12968/hmed.2020.0284. Epub 2020 Jun 3. PMID: 32589537.