What’s New in Polymyalgia Rheumatica?

Dr. Buttgereit also highlighted several studies evaluating the effectiveness and safety of tofacitinib and rituximab for treating patients with PMR.

In the EAST PMR study, researchers randomized patients to receive either tofacitinib or glucocorticoids for 24 weeks. The study showed no difference in the primary end point—defined as the proportion of patients with PMR-AS score ≤10 at weeks 12 and 24—between the two groups.¹¹

In 2023, Bolhuis et al. published a follow up to the BRIDGE-PMR study, a randomized controlled trial of rituximab for the treatment of PMR. BRIDGE-PMR was a proof-of-concept clinical trial that suggested B cell depletion with rituximab may have glucocorticoid-sparing effects in patients with PMR. The researchers assessed the rates of glucocorticoid-free remission up to one year after infusion of rituximab in an extension of the BRIDGE-PMR trial. They found the proportion of patients in remission remained stable at one year after infusion and a glucocorticoid-sparing effect was demonstrated.¹²

Jason Liebowitz, MD, is an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York.

References

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8. Devauchelle-Pensec V, Carvajal-Alegria G, Dernis E, et al. Effect of tocilizumab on disease activity in patients with active polymyalgia rheumatica receiving glucocorticoid therapy: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2022 Sep 20;328(11):1053–1062.
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