Subcutaneous tocilizumab in rheumatoid arthritis: findings from the common-framework phase 4 study programme TOZURA conducted in 22 countries

Choy, Ernest ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4459-8609, Caporali, Roberto, Xavier, Ricardo, Fautrel, Bruno, Sanmarti, Raimón, Bao, Min, Bernasconi, Corrado and Pethö-Schramm, Attila 2018. Subcutaneous tocilizumab in rheumatoid arthritis: findings from the common-framework phase 4 study programme TOZURA conducted in 22 countries. Rheumatology 57 (3) , pp. 499-507. 10.1093/rheumatology/kex443

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Abstract

Objectives The aim of this pooled analysis of the TOZURA study programme was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of subcutaneous tocilizumab (TCZ-SC) as monotherapy or in combination with conventional synthetic DMARDs (csDMARDs) in patients with moderate to severe RA who had an inadequate response to csDMARD or anti-TNF agent therapy or who were MTX naïve. Methods TOZURA is a multinational, open-label, single-arm, common-framework, phase 4 study programme (11 protocols, 22 countries). Patients received TCZ-SC 162 mg each week for ⩾24 weeks, administered at the investigator’s discretion, as monotherapy or in combination with a csDMARD. Efficacy, safety and immunogenicity were evaluated; propensity score–based matching was used for between-group comparisons. Results Of 1804 patients, 353 (19.6%) received monotherapy and 1451 (80.4%) received combination therapy. The 28-joint DAS using ESR (DAS28-ESR) in both groups decreased significantly from baseline to week 24 (mean change: monotherapy −3.40, combination therapy −3.46), with no significant difference between groups (P = 0.46). The proportion of patients who achieved DAS28-ESR or Clinical Disease Activity Index remission or ACR 20/50/70/90 responses was similar between groups. Overall, 13.9% of patients withdrew—6.2% for safety reasons and 1.6% for insufficient therapeutic response; 5.8% of patients experienced one or more serious adverse events [14.6/100 patient-years (PY)]; six deaths occurred (0.64/100 PY). Conclusion In a common framework of 11 studies in 22 countries, this phase 4 study programme confirmed TCZ-SC’s known efficacy and safety profile with comparable effects as monotherapy and in combination with csDMARDs.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Medicine
Publisher:	Oxford University Press (OUP): Policy B - Oxford Open Option B
ISSN:	1462-0324
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	5 January 2018
Date of Acceptance:	17 October 2017
Last Modified:	05 May 2023 11:04
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/107931

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