Vasculitis & polymyalgia rheumatica
Optimisation of tocilizumab therapy in giant cell arteritis. A multicentre real-life study of 471 patients
Authors' conclusion
This seems to be effective, safe and cost-effective therapeutic scheme.
Study context
- Population
- Unselected patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) treated with tocilizumab (TCZ) in clinical practice; prolonged remission (normalisation of clinical and laboratory data for 6 months)231 in prolonged remission evaluated
- Participants
- 471 patients
- Exposure
- Optimised TCZ vs not optimised TCZ in GCA in prolonged remission
- TCZOPTn = 125
- Outcome
- Prolonged remission
- Follow-up
- End
Methodological detailsmulticentre, real-life
- Multicentre
- Real-life
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
P = 0.29
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Time to first TCZ optimisation
- Median follow-up before first TCZ optimisation, months [range as printed]
- 12[6-17]
Optimisation schemes
- Intravenous TCZ optimised from 8 to 4mg/kg/4weeks
- 44%
- Subcutaneous TCZ optimised from 162mg/w to 162mg/every-other-week
- 65%
Safety
Severe infections · more frequent in TCZNON-OPT
P = 0.009
Original publication
Optimisation of tocilizumab therapy in giant cell arteritis. A multicentre real-life study of 471 patients. Clin Exp Rheumatol. Published 12 June 2022. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →