Researcher identified multiple factors for flare, including non-use of methotrexate, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who had switched from intravenous (IV) tocilizumab to subcutaneous tocilizumab.
ACR Update on Tocilizumab Shortages
ATLANTA—The ACR is actively engaged with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) drug shortage team as they work with the manufacturer to resolve current shortages of tocilizumab (Actemra). Demand for tocilizumab has outpaced supply, with demand increasing after the FDA’s June 24 Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for…
Tocilizumab After Ultra-Short Course Steroids Promising for Newly Diagnosed GCA
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Tocilizumab induced a slow and lasting remission after an ultra-short pulse (three days) of steroids in newly diagnosed giant cell arteritis (GCA) patients, a proof-of-concept trial shows.1 His early research on cytokines and glucocorticoids led Peter Villiger, MD, of Medical Center Monbijou, Bern, Switzerland, to find ways to reduce steroid use, he…
Tocilizumab Effectively Treats Early RA for Up to Two Years
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with IV tocilizumab alone or with methotrexate maintained clinical benefits during their second year of treatment, researchers say. Sophie Dimonaco of Roche Products Ltd. in Welwyn Garden City, UK and colleagues sought to determine whether the efficacy and safety of IV tocilizumab, as demonstrated in…