Tocilizumab

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis who receive abatacept or certolizumab pegol achieve clinical remission at higher rates than those receiving active conventional therapy, according to data published in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

The FDA has approved Tofidence as the first tocilizumab biosimilar in the United States for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions, according to a statement from the manufacturer.

The 2017 FDA approval of tocilizumab as the first drug to specifically treat giant cell arteritis ushered in a new era in the management of the disease, with hopes that it would eliminate the need for steroids in the condition altogether.

Both teprotumumab and tocilizumab reduce inflammation and thyroid eye disease severity, including among adults who were nonresponders to steroid treatment, according to findings published in Thyroid.

The European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology issued updated guidance recommending weekly tocilizumab, along with glucocorticoids that should eventually be tapered, for patients with new, relapsing giant cell arteritis.

Weekly tocilizumab 162 mg is recommended for giant cell arteritis in new or relapsing cases, alongside glucocorticoids that should eventually be tapered, according to an updated EULAR consensus statement on interleukin-6 inhibitors.

IL-6 receptor antagonists and antiplatelet agents improved chances for 6-month survival among patients with COVID-19, according to study results presented at Society of Critical Care Medicine’s Critical Care Congress and published in JAMA.

Individualized care and patient satisfaction are among the areas of emphasis in a new consensus statement on management of thyroid eye disease.

The FDA has accepted an abbreviated biologics license application for a tocilizumab biosimilar candidate, according to a press release from Biogen.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Combination therapy with remdesivir and dexamethasone plus tocilizumab yielded reductions in inflammatory markers and mortality and more discharges for patients with COVID-19 hospitalized in the ICU, researchers reported.