A case of active rheumatoid arthritis with renal dysfunction treated effectively with tocilizumab monotherapy

Excerpt

Tocilizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds to interleukin-6 (IL 6) receptor and shows clinical efficacy in active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with an inadequate response to methotrexate (MTX) [1]. Thus, in Japan, tocilizumab plays a principal role in achieving “tight control” of the disease activity of RA similar to tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha inhibitors such as infliximab, etanercept, and adalimumab [2, 3]. Most disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), such as MTX, are not tolerated by RA patients with renal dysfunction [4]. Therefore, it may be difficult to achieve tight control in active RA patients with renal dysfunction in the view of a limited therapeutic choice of DMARDs. In this report, we described a case of active RA concomitant with renal dysfunction, which was successfully treated with tocilizumab monotherapy on its standard protocol. …