Effectiveness of combination tocilizumab and glucocorticoids as an induction therapy in patients with Takayasu arteritis: An observational study

Background The efficacy of tocilizumab (TCZ) in the treatment of Takayasu arteritis (TA) was demonstrated in randomized controlled trials. The objective of this study was to analyse the effectiveness of combining TCZ with glucocorticoids (GC) as induction therapy in patients with TA. Method This was a retrospective observational study including 32 patients with newly diagnosed TA. Clinical effectiveness of TCZ in maintaining relapse-free remission and GC-tapering were compared between patients who were treated with TCZ plus GC and those who were treated with GC with or without immunosuppressants. Results The study comprised 32 patients (27 women/5 men) with a median age of 25.5 years (range, 13-72). In the TCZ group (n = 14), patients received TCZ in combination with GC as an induction therapy. In the non-TCZ group (n = 18), patients were treated with single-agent GC or GC plus immunosuppressant. In the matched analysis, relapse-free survival rate was significantly higher in the TCZ group as compared to the non-TCZ group during GC taper. Conclusion TCZ, in combination with GC, would be an effective alternative induction regimen for patients with TA.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates that combining tocilizumab with glucocorticoids as induction therapy for Takayasu arteritis patients can effectively maintain remission without relapse and gradually reduce the dosage of glucocorticoids.