New treatment option may be on the horizon for polymyalgia rheumatica

A drug approved to treat rheumatoid arthritis, tocilizumab, is a potential new therapy for patients with polymyalgia rheumatica, according to an open-label, Phase II study presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals yesterday.

The inflammatory disorder impacts 1% of people over the age of 50 and is predominantly found in individuals over the age of 65. Tocilizumab is the active ingredient of Actemra, from US biotech firm Genentech, which is a subsidiary of Swiss pharma giant Roche (ROG: SIX).

Confers a steroid sparing effect