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. 2013 Jan;4(1):15-21.
doi: 10.1177/2040622312466908.

Tocilizumab in rheumatoid arthritis: efficacy, safety and its place in therapy

Atsushi Kaneko  1
Affiliations

Tocilizumab in rheumatoid arthritis: efficacy, safety and its place in therapy

Atsushi Kaneko. Ther Adv Chronic Dis. 2013 Jan.

Abstract

Tocilizumab is a humanized antihuman interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor monoclonal antibody. It was developed in Japan as the first biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drug targeting IL-6 receptors. Many large-scale global studies have demonstrated its efficacy and safety, and in April 2008 it was approved in Japan for use in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, sooner than in other countries. In this paper, I review the efficacy and safety of tocilizumab in the light of front-line clinical data and data from large-scale studies, and I consider the place of tocilizumab treatment in real clinical practice.

Keywords: biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; interleukin-6; rheumatoid arthritis; tocilizumab.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement: A. Kaneko has received speaking fees (less than US$5000) from Abbot Japan Co. Ltd, Eisai Co. Ltd, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, Pfizer Co. Ltd, Chugai Phamacoceutical Co. Ltd and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co Ltd.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Percentages of patients achieving DAS28 remission (<2.6) and low disease activity (<3.2) at 24 weeks in the RADIATE study [Emery et al. 2008]. DAS28, 28-joint Disease Activity Score; MTX, methotrexate; TCZ, tocilizumab.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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