Open AccessTocilizumab: is there life beyond anti‐TNF blockade?
Author(s) -
Alves J. D.,
Marinho A.,
Serra M. J.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
international journal of clinical practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.756
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 1742-1241
pISSN - 1368-5031
DOI - 10.1111/j.1742-1241.2010.02612.x
Subject(s) - medicine , tocilizumab , rheumatoid arthritis , blockade , tumor necrosis factor alpha , disease , clinical trial , immunology , arthritis , intensive care medicine , receptor
Summary Anti‐TNF‐α therapy has become the most effective biological treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. Despite having changed the prognosis of the disease establishing new targets for treatment strategy, there are several aspects that still remain unmatched. About 30% of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis have a less than satisfactory response to anti‐TNF therapy, which has led the way for the pursuit of new targets and approaches to treatment. IL‐6 is one of these alternative targets and data from the more recent clinical trials involving tocilizumab (an anti‐IL‐6 soluble receptor antibody) suggest advantages in relation to some clinical aspects which are not addressed by anti‐TNF‐α treatment.