Trial reportArthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.)2016
Brief Report: A Prospective Open-Label Phase IIa Trial of Tocilizumab in the Treatment of Polymyalgia Rheumatica.
Trial report in Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.), 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03576794 (A Multicenter Randomized Placebo Controlled Treatment Study of Leflunomide in Polymyalgia Rheumatica), which is not on this map. Cited by 45 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A Multicenter Randomized Placebo Controlled Treatment Study of Leflunomide in Polymyalgia Rheumatica
Who cites it
45 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 124 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- [S3 guidelines on treatment of polymyalgia rheumatica : Evidence-based guidelines of the German Society of Rheumatology (DGRh), the Austrian Society of Rheumatology and Rehabilitation (ÖGR) and the Swiss Society of Rheumatology (SGT) and participating medical scientific specialist societies and other organizations].Zeitschrift fur Rheumatologie · 2018Guideline
- Maintenance of Remission After Tocilizumab Withdrawal in Patients With Glucocorticoid-Dependent Polymyalgia Rheumatica.Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.) · 2025Trial
- Concordance and agreement between different activity scores in polymyalgia rheumatica.RMD open · 2024Trial
- Clinical experience and safety of Janus kinase inhibitors in giant cell arteritis: a retrospective case series from Sweden.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Trial
- Trial
- Ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging changes in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica treated by tocilizumab.Arthritis research & therapy · 2018Trial
- Gene expression profiling in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica before and after symptom-abolishing glucocorticoid treatment.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2017Trial
- Treatment strategies in giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica: beyond glucocorticoids.Nature reviews. Rheumatology · 2026Review
- Direct interleukin-6 inhibitor olokizumab in the treatment of polymyalgia rheumatica: a case series.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- The aspiration of precision glucocorticoid pharmacotherapy in immune-mediated diseases: where do we stand in integrating pharmacogenomics and biomarkers for individualized treatment?Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Traditional and Emerging Strategies for Managing Polymyalgia Rheumatica: Insights into New Treatments.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Efficacy and Safety of Biologics in Polymyalgia Rheumatica: A Retrospective Study.Rheumatology and therapy · 2024Article
- Naïve Inflammatory Proteome Profiles of Glucocorticoid Responsive Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Rheumatic Arthritis Patients-Links to Triggers and Proteomic Manifestations.Journal of personalized medicine · 2024Article
- Polymyalgia rheumatica: An update (Review).Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2023Article
- [Methods for assessment of disease activity of polymyalgia rheumatica].Zeitschrift fur Rheumatologie · 2023Review
- Efficacy of JAK Inhibitors versus DMARDs in the Treatment of Polymyalgia Rheumatica in China.International journal of general medicine · 2023Article
- Humoral and cellular SARS-CoV-2 vaccine responses in patients with giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica.RMD open · 2022Article
- Article
- [This is how I treat-Polymyalgia rheumatica with a cumulative dosage of glucocorticoids as low as possible].Zeitschrift fur Rheumatologie · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveInterleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pivotal cytokine in the pathogenesis of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), yet the efficacy of IL-6 blockade with tocilizumab (TCZ) for the treatment of PMR is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of TCZ in newly diagnosed PMR.
methodsIn a single-center open-label study, patients with newly diagnosed PMR who had been treated with glucocorticoids (GCs) for <1 month were treated monthly with intravenous (IV) TCZ 8 mg/kg for 1 year, with a rapid tapering of GCs according to standardized protocol. The primary end point was the proportion of patients in relapse-free remission without GC treatment at 6 months. Secondary outcome measures included duration of GC use and cumulative GC dose. Patients were followed up for 15 months.
resultsTen patients were enrolled in the study. One patient withdrew after 2 months, leaving 9 patients in whom the primary end point was assessed. The primary end point of relapse-free remission without GC treatment at 6 months was achieved by all 9 of these patients. All patients who received TCZ treatment were able to discontinue GCs within 4 months of study entry. The cumulative mean ± SD prednisone dose was 1,085 ± 301 mg and the total duration of GC exposure was 3.9 ± 0.9 months. Remission persisted without relapse, in all 9 patients, throughout the entire 15-month study.
conclusionOur findings suggest that TCZ may be an effective, safe, and well-tolerated treatment for newly diagnosed patients with PMR, with a robust steroid-sparing effect.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.