NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Treatment with a recombinant human monoclonal antibody (MRA) directed against the interleukin 6 (IL-6) receptor leads to clinical improvement in children with systemic-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), Japanese researchers report in the March issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism.
In fact, lead investigator Dr. Shumpei Yokota told Reuters Health, “as IL-6 is the effector molecule in active inflammation mediated by proinflammatory cytokines, (IL-6 MRA) may be efficacious for recurrent acute-type inflammatory processes such as Kawasaki disease, Castleman disease... and so forth.”
In the current study, Dr. Yokota of Yokohama City University School of Medicine and colleagues conducted an individual escalating-dose trial of the IL-6 MRA in eleven JIA patients who were refractory to treatment with high-dose, long-term corticosteroids.
They initially received an intravenous dose of 2 mg/per kg. At 2- week intervals this dose was repeated or raised to 4 or 8 mg/kg, depending on disease control.
In ten of the children, MRA “abruptly reduced disease activity” in terms of febrile episodes, active arthritis scores and levels of C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
In all, 2 weeks after the third fixed dose, these ten children had at least a 50% improvement and seven achieved a 70% improvement.
The researchers call for further studies, but conclude that their “experience with MRA strongly suggests that it is a promising and powerful therapeutic modality.”
Source: Arthritis Rheum 2005;52:818-825. [ Google search on this article ]
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