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New insights and long-term safety of tocilizumab in rheumatoid arthritis
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-20, 00:05 authored by Graeme JonesGraeme Jones, Elena PanovaElena PanovaRheumatoid arthritis is a leading musculoskeletal cause of disability in Western society. Therapeutic options have expanded rapidly with the advent of biological agents as treatment options. One of these, tocilizumab, targets the interleukin-6 receptor and has been approved since the late 2000s in many jurisdictions. This approval was based on 6-12 month trials. It is now appropriate to look at longer-term studies and what new insights they have provided into this agent. Data are based largely on observational studies with their well-known limitations as well as some further randomized trials and provide a number of important observations regarding both efficacy and safety. In conclusion, the longer-term data suggest tocilizumab efficacy increases over time for both signs and symptoms and radiographic change. It is also corticosteroid sparing. The safety data are consistent with the shorter-term trials and are largely reassuring but some questions still remain over cardiovascular safety and cancer risk.
History
Publication title
Therapeutic Advances in Musculoskeletal DiseaseVolume
10Issue
10Pagination
195-199ISSN
1759-720XDepartment/School
Menzies Institute for Medical ResearchPublisher
Sage Publications Ltd.Place of publication
United KingdomRights statement
Copyright 2018 The AuthorsRepository Status
- Restricted