Tocilizumab — IL-6 inhibition for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Affecting approximately 400 000 people in England and Wales,¹ rheumatoid arthritis (RA) creates a considerable economic burden. NICE estimates that five years after diagnosis, 40% of RA patients will be incapable of work.¹ Some treatment options for RA look to control inflammation in order to rein in the disease. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) invokes inflammation via TNF-α, although the reason for this is unknown. Some researchers are beginning to turn their attention to IL-6 in their search for novel RA treatments, and believe that drugs inhibiting this inflammatory cytokine could halt disease progression. In this article, we consider tocilizumab, an IL-6 inhibitor. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.