Comparative effectiveness of Tocilizumab with either Methotrexate or Leflunomide in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis
Objective: In agreement with EULAR recommendations, a DMARD in combination with a biotherapy is the reference treatment because of the superior long-term clinical and radiographic outcomes. Methotrexate (MTX) is the cornerstone of combination therapy but is in some cases contra-indicated or poorly t...
| Autores: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Formato: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2015 |
| País: | España |
| Recursos: | Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya) |
| Repositorio: | Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:recercat.cat:2445/111111 |
| Acesso em linha: | https://hdl.handle.net/2445/111111 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palavra-chave: | Anticossos monoclonals Artritis reumatoide Metotrexat Medicaments Efectes secundaris dels medicaments Interaccions dels medicaments Monoclonal antibodies Rheumatoid arthritis Methotrexate Drugs Drug side effects Drug interactions |
| Resumo: | Objective: In agreement with EULAR recommendations, a DMARD in combination with a biotherapy is the reference treatment because of the superior long-term clinical and radiographic outcomes. Methotrexate (MTX) is the cornerstone of combination therapy but is in some cases contra-indicated or poorly tolerated. This observational study aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of TCZ in combination with either MTX or leflunomide (LEF) in the treatment of patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and an inadequate response to one or more DMARDs and/or biological agents in a real-world setting. Methods: We performed an ambispective review of 91 patients with active RA who were routinely treated with TCZ plus MTX or LEF. A comparative study between the two combinations of treatment was performed at 6 months of follow-up considering 3 outcomes: improvement of RA disease activity, evolution of functional disability, and tolerability and side effect profile. Results: Of the 91 patients, 62 received TCZ with MTX and 29 received TCZ with LEF. Eighty-one patients were followed for 6 months, and the remaining 10 patients discontinued treatment due to serious adverse events. At baseline, there were no significant differences between the groups in terms of the main clinical and laboratory data or in the number of previous DMARDs and biological agents used. At 6 months, there were no significant differences between the combinations in terms of disease activity and functional disability. Serious adverse events occurred in 11% and 10% of the patients treated in combination with MTX and LEF, respectively. Conclusion: Our preliminary data support the argument that LEF is an effective and safe (equivalent) alternative to MTX for combination treatment with TCZ. |
|---|