To determine whether serum trough concentrations of tocilizumab (TCZ) administered as a fixed-dose subcutaneous (SC) injection for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are associated with disease activity responses.
We analyzed datasets from the Israeli branch of the multinational TOZURA study, which evaluated a weekly subcutaneous TCZ treatment regimen in a real-life clinical setting. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to evaluate associations between the TCZ levels and the study outcomes. Linear models and GEE were used to evaluate associations between patient characteristics and TCZ levels.
A significant association between the TCZ concentrations and the change in the Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) score was observed. In a multivariate binary GEE model, every increase of 10 µg/ml in the concentration of TCZ was associated with being in a state of CDAI remission or low disease activity (OR 1.41) versus a moderate/high disease activity state. An OR of 1.52 was associated with being in a state of Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index remission. In univariate linear models, there was an inverse association between body mass index (BMI) and improvement in the CDAI score, and the BMI score was associated with lower TCZ concentrations. Patients who weighed > 100 kg had lower TCZ concentrations.
In the first 24 weeks of treatment with SC TCZ injections, TCZ concentrations were associated with clinical improvement, while body weight and BMI were inversely associated with TCZ concentrations. Personalizing the dose of SC TCZ to body weight may improve outcomes of clinical disease activity in patients with RA.