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Vasculitis syndromes

Tocilizumab safe and effective for PMR

Nature Reviews Rheumatology volume 12, page 374 (2016)Cite this article

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A small phase IIa single-centre open-label study reports the first efficacy data for the IL-6-targeting monoclonal antibody tocilizumab in patients with newly diagnosed polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR; n = 10). Tocilizumab was administered monthly for 1 year alongside rapidly tapered glucocorticoid (GC) therapy. One patient discontinued the study owing to an infusion reaction. All nine patients who completed the course of tocilizumab remained in relapse-free remission after 6 months (the primary endpoint) and at the 15-month follow-up, reporting only mild adverse effects. In the comparator group, all patients receiving GCs alone (n = 10) achieved remission or low disease activity at 6 months; however, six patients had ≥1 relapse over a 12 month period. Whereas all patients in the comparator group remained on GCs at 6 months, all tocilizumab-treated patients were able to discontinue GC therapy within 4 months of study entry.

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References

  1. Lally, L. et al. A prospective open label phase IIa trial of tocilizumab in the treatment of polymyalgia rheumatica. Arthritis Rheumatol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/art.39740 (2016)

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Authors
  1. Lydia Shipman
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Shipman, L. Tocilizumab safe and effective for PMR. Nat Rev Rheumatol 12, 374 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrrheum.2016.89

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