TY - JOUR T1 - Rapid and Sustained Response to Tocilizumab in Patients with Polymyalgia Rheumatica Resistant or Intolerant to Glucocorticoids: A Multicenter Open-label Study JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol SP - 249 LP - 251 DO - 10.3899/jrheum.150599 VL - 43 IS - 1 AU - ÉRIC TOUSSIROT AU - ANTOINE MARTIN AU - MARTIN SOUBRIER AU - SERGE REDEKER AU - ALEXIS RÉGENT Y1 - 2016/01/01 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/43/1/249.abstract N2 - To the Editor:Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is an inflammatory rheumatic disease affecting people aged 50 years or older. PMR usually improves with glucocorticoids (GC), with rapid resolution of symptoms in response to 15–20 mg/day prednisone1. However, around half of the patients with PMR experience a flare of disease when GC are tapered or stopped, and these patients may require longterm GC treatment because of repeated relapses, leading to undesirable side effects. In addition, some patients with PMR have a partial response or do not respond to initial GC treatment1. In this setting, alternative treatments, namely GC-sparing agents, are required. Methotrexate gave conflicting results in PMR while tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors failed to prevent relapses in randomized controlled studies.Data suggest that interleukin 6 (IL-6) contributes to the inflammatory process of PMR2: Increased serum levels of IL-6 have been described in PMR and correlate with disease activity3; the risk of recurrence/relapse of PMR is associated with persistent elevated IL-6 serum levels as well as with a genetic polymorphism of the IL-6 promoter gene3; and reports described the efficacy of tocilizumab (TCZ), an anti-IL-6 receptor agent, in the treatment of giant cell arteritis (GCA)4,5. The clinical value of TCZ in isolated PMR is less well described. … Address correspondence to Dr. Eric Toussirot, University Hospital, Clinical Investigation Center-Biotherapy, CHU Hopital St Jacques, Bat St Joseph, Besançon, 25000, France. E-mail: etoussirot{at}chu-besancon.fr ER -