Spring 2018
Welcome
In early March, after months of consultation and waiting, we received the news that NICE, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, has approved the use of tocilizumab for cases of giant cell arteritis.
There has not been a new drug specifically for GCA since steroids were first used 70 years ago. Tocilizumab (TCZ for short), patented by Roche as Actemra, is one of a new generation of biologic drugs that treat the inflammation causing the disease rather than just the symptoms, as steroids do. It does this by attaching itself to IL-6, the interleukin chemical that is responsible for much of the inflammation in GCA. The international GiACTA trial has shown that patients taking TCZ can end up taking a much lower overall dose of steroids, avoiding relapses and the dangers of high doses of steroids, such as diabetes and osteoporosis.
