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Research Shows Tocilizumab Stabilizes ILD
Tocilizumab showed effectiveness in preserving lung function among patients with systemic sclerosis-related interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD), according to a recent trial.
The researchers who conducted the focuSSced phase 3 study of tocilizumab among patients with SSc and skin disease found that of 210 participants, 136 (65%) also had ILD; of those with ILD, 77% had moderate to severe lung disease with greater than 10% of lung involvement. All participants were assessed by spirometry and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) at baseline and at week 48. Using computer software, the team assessed participants’ quantitative ILD (QILD) and fibrosis scores, classifying the QILD as mild, moderate, or severe.
“The TCZ [tocilizumab] arm demonstrated preservation of forced vital capacity percent predicted (FCV%) over 48 weeks,” the investigators stated. Participants with severe QILD showed a mean ± SD alteration in FCV% of 2.1 ± 1.6% among patients in the tocilizumab arm, compared with -6.7±2.0% in the placebo arm.
“TCZ in early SSc-associated ILD with progressive skin disease stabilized FVC% over 48 weeks, independent of the extent of radiographically evident QILD,” the authors wrote.
--Rebecca Mashaw
Reference:
Roofeh D, Lin CJF, Goldin J, et al. Tocilizumab prevents progression of early systemic sclerosis– associated interstitial lung disease. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2021;73(7): 1301–1310
