Tocilizumab and glucocorticoids for giant cell arteritis: the learning curve

High-dose glucocorticoids are a standard treatment for giant cell arteritis, but the traditional taper regimen of 1 year or more 1 Mackie SL Dejaco C Appenzeller S et al. British Society for Rheumatology guideline on diagnosis and treatment of giant cell arteritis. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2020; 59: e1-23 Crossref PubMed Scopus (101) Google Scholar is associated with considerable toxicity for many patients. Furthermore, giant cell arteritis relapse occurs commonly during glucocorticoid taper. Relapse is generally managed by glucocorticoid dose escalation. 1 Mackie SL Dejaco C Appenzeller S et al. British Society for Rheumatology guideline on diagnosis and treatment of giant cell arteritis. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2020; 59: e1-23 Crossref PubMed Scopus (101) Google Scholar Until the last decade, it seemed that there was no more to learn about giant cell arteritis; it was a difficult disease with an all-too-simple treatment. Treatment for giant cell arteritis with 8 weeks of prednisone in combination with tocilizumab: a single-arm, open-label, proof-of-concept studyThese results suggest that 12 months of tocilizumab in combination with 8 weeks of prednisone could induce and maintain remission in patients with giant cell arteritis. Confirmation of these findings in a randomised controlled trial is required. Full-Text PDF