Tocilizumab Dose-tapering and Interruption in Patients With Giant Cell Arteritis Achieving the Clinical Remission.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, has been found to have a crucial role in the pathogenesis of Giant cel arteritis (GCA). Based on this rationale, several recent studies demonstrated the efficacy of tocilizumab (TCZ), an anti-IL-6 targeted monoclonal antibody, for the treatment of patients with refractory GCA. Confirming previous reports,in a recent retrospective study the investigators successfully treated 10 patient with refractory GCA with TCZ. All patients achieved a complete disease remission evaluated by clinical, laboratory, and positron emission tomography (PET). In a considerable number of GCA patients treated with corticosteroids (CS) the therapy may be interrupted with no disease flares. No data are available on the management of patients achieving the remission with TCZ.