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VIDEO: Subcutaneous, IV Actemra similarly safe, effective for systemic JIA
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AMSTERDAM — Subcutaneous tocilizumab demonstrated comparable safety and efficacy to IV tocilizumab in patients with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, according to data presented at the EULAR Annual Congress.
“Systemic JIA is a very invalidating disease – or should I say, it was a very invalidating disease until a few years ago when the rheumatologists figured out that inhibiting IL6 and/or IL1 was very effective in these patients,” Fabrizio de Benedetti, MD, PhD, head of the Division of Rheumatology at Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù in Rome, told Healio Rheumatology. “Luckily a new era in the treatment of these patients has begun.”
“Subcutaneous tocilizumab is a major advantage because the available formulation of tocilizumab so far requires biweekly IV infusion with the placement of a central line,” de Benedetti said. “The major advantage of having the availability of a subcutaneous formulation is that this allows getting rid of discomfort and allows home injection of the drug.
He noted, “We look forward to having this formulation of tocilizumab in this dosing regimen approved in children so we can switch them all from IV to subcutaneous.”