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In the observational TOCERRA study by Lauper et al ,1 the authors showed that tocilizumab (TOC; either as monotherapy or combination therapy) had superior drug retention than tumour necrosis factor… Click to show full abstract
In the observational TOCERRA study by Lauper et al ,1 the authors showed that tocilizumab (TOC; either as monotherapy or combination therapy) had superior drug retention than tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi; as monotherapy or combination therapy), in patients with rheumatoid arthritis with prior exposure to at least one biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (bDMARD). Yet, efficacy (measured by Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) change over time) was the same! The authors offered the following astute explanations: (1) CDAI does not comprehensively assess drug efficacy; (2) different tolerance between TOC and TNFi groups; or (3) retention captures something that is not evaluated by CDAI. I would like to expand on these explanations, since this phenomenon has previously appeared in this journal. When a patient …
Journal Title: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
Year Published: 2019
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