Tocilizumab For Takayasu Arteritis: Multicenter Study Of 54 White Patients

Background: Tocilizumab (TCZ) has shown to be effective for large vessel vasculitis including Takayasu arteritis (TAK) (1-3). Most evidence in TAK comes from Asian patients. However, white patients seem to have different clinical and prognostic features. Objectives: Our aims were to: a) assess the efficacy and safety of TCZ in white patients with refractory TAK, b) determine if clinical improvement correlates with imaging outcomes, c) compare TCZ in monotherapy (TCZMONO) vs combined with conventional immunosuppressive drugs (TCZCOMBO) Methods: Multicenter study of white patients with refractory TAK who received TCZ.Outcomes variables were remission, glucocorticoid-sparing effect, improvement in imaging techniques, and adverse events. A comparative study between patients who received TCZMONO and TCZCOMBO was performed. Results: 54 patients (46 women/8 men; median age 42.0 [32.5-50.5] years). TCZ was started after 12.0 [3.0-31.5] months since TAK diagnosis. Remission was achieved in 12/54 (22.2%), 19/49 (38.8%), 23/44 (52.3%) and 27/36 (75%) at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months, respectively. Prednisone dose was reduced from 30.0 [12.5-50.0] to 5.0 [0.0-5.6] mg/day at 12 months (Table 1). 10 (26.3%) of the 38 patients in whom an imaging follow-up test was performed showed no radiographic improvement after a median of 9.0 [6.0-14.0] months. 4 of them were in clinical remission.23 (42.6%) patients were on TCZMONO and 31 (57.4%) on TCZCOMBO: MTX (n=28), cyclosporine A (n=2), azathioprine (n=1). Patients on TCZCOMBO were younger (38.0 [27.0-46.0] vs 45 [38.0-57.0] years; p= 0.048), with a trend to longer TAK duration (21.0 [6.0-38.0] vs 6.0 [1.0-23.0] months; p= 0.08) and higher C-reactive protein (2.4 [0.7-5.6] vs 1.3 [0.3-3.3] mg/dL; p=0.16). Despite these differences, similar outcomes were observed in both groups (log rank p=0.862) (Figure 1). Relevant adverse events were reported in 6 (11.1%) patients, but only 3 developed severe events that required TCZ withdrawal. Conclusion: TCZ is effective and safe in white patients with refractory TAK. A discordance between clinical and imaging activity assessment may exist. References: [1]Prieto Pena D et al. Clin Exp Rheumatol 2020 Nov 27. PMID: 33253103. [2]Loricera J, et al. Clin Exp Rheumatol 2016; 34:S44-53. PMID: 27050507. [3]Calderon-Goercke M, et al. Semin Arthritis Rheum 2019; 49:126-35. PMID: 30655091 Disclosure of Interests: Diana Prieto-Pena Grant/research support from: DP-P has received research support from UCB Pharma, Roche, Sanofi, Pfizer, AbbVie and Lilly., Pilar Bernabeu: None declared, Paloma Vela-Casasempere: None declared, J. Narvaez: None declared, Carlos Fernandez-Lopez: None declared, Mercedes Freire Gonzalez: None declared, Beatriz Gonzalez-Alvarez: None declared, Roser Solans-Laque: None declared, Jose Luis Callejas-Rubio: None declared, Norberto Ortego: None declared, Carlos Fernandez-Diaz: None declared, Esteban Rubio Romero: None declared, SALVADOR GARCIA MORILLO: None declared, Mauricio Minguez: None declared, Cristina Fernandez-Carballido: None declared, Eugenio de Miguel: None declared, Sheila Melchor: None declared, Eva Salgado-Perez: None declared, Beatriz Bravo: None declared, Susana Romero-Yuste: None declared, Juan Salvatierra: None declared, Cristina Hidalgo: None declared, Sara Manrique Arija: None declared, C. Romero-Gomez: None declared, Patricia Moya: None declared, Noelia Alvarez-Rivas: None declared, Javier Mendizabal: None declared, Francisco Miguel Ortiz Sanjuan: None declared, I. Perez de Pedro: None declared, JOSE LUIS ALONSO VALDIVIESO: None declared, Perez Sanchez Laura: None declared, Roldan Molina Rosa: None declared, Nagore Fernandez-Llanio: None declared, Ricardo Gomez de la Torre: None declared, Silvia Suarez: None declared, Maria Jesus Montesa: None declared, Monica Delgado Sanchez: None declared, J. Loricera: None declared, Belen Atienza-Mateo: None declared, Santos Castaneda: None declared, Miguel A Gonzalez-Gay Grant/research support from: MAG-G received grants/research supports from Abbvie, MSD, Jansen and Roche and had consultation fees/participation in company sponsored speaker´s bureau from Abbvie, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Lilly, Celgene and MSD, Ricardo Blanco Grant/research support from: RB received grants/research supports from Abbvie, MSD and Roche, and had consultation fees/participation in company sponsored speaker´s bureau from Abbvie, Lilly, Pfizer, Roche, Bristol-Myers, Janssen, UCB Pharma and MSD.