In a nutshell
This study investigated if sarilumab (Kevzara) is safe and effective alone or in combination with other drugs in patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
They found that this treatment was effective and well-tolerated in these patients.
Some background
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic immune condition. Excess inflammation leads causes painful swelling in the joints. The joint tissue degenerates over time. This leads to disability. RA is treated with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). DMARDs target chemicals or proteins that cause inflammation. Conventional DMARDs (csDMARDs) are non-specific drugs. This means they target several pathways involved in inflammation.
More specific DMARDs have been developed to treat RA. This is because patients may not always respond to csDMARDs. Biological DMARDs (bDMARDs) target specific chemicals or proteins. Sarilumab is a bDMARD. It targets a protein called interleukin-6. Studies show that sarilumab reduces inflammation in RA. It is unclear if sarilumab is safe and effective in all RA patients with moderate-severe disease.
Methods & findings
This study included 3 clinical trials. These trials investigated the safety and effectiveness of sarilumab in RA patients. Sarilumab was either used alone in comparison with adalimumab (Humira), another bDMARD, either combined with methotrexate (Otrexup) or TNF-alpha inhibitors. The authors compared the outcomes in each study. This is because the population of RA patients was different in each study. Effectiveness was measured by RA disease activity (DA). Safety was assessed by comparing side effects.
Sarilumab was associated with lower DA compared to adalimumab. Sarilumab was more effective in combination with csDMARDs than csDMARDs alone. This effect was observed in all 3 studies. Side effects were more common in patients aged 65 or older with sarilumab treatment.
The bottom line
The authors concluded that sarilumab was effective and well-tolerated in patients with moderate to severe RA.
The fine print
Treatment history varied across the 3 studies. This means its difficult to compare the results. Some of the subpopulations were small. The studies were also relatively short. Long-term follow-up studies are needed.
What’s next?
If you have any concerns regarding RA management please discuss with your physician.
Published By :
Arthritis Research & Therapy
Date :
Jun 10, 2020
