Efficacy of tocilizumab in two patients with anti-TNF-alpha refractory uveitis

Aurore Muselier (1) , Philip Bielefeld (1) , Samuel Bidot (1) , Julien Vinit (1) , Jean-François Besancenot (1) , Alain Bron (1, 2)

1 CHU Dijon - Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Dijon - Hôpital François Mitterrand
2 CSGA - Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation [Dijon]

PURPOSE: To report on two patients with refractory uveitis treated with tocilizumab; a new humanized monoclonal antibody against the interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6R). DESIGN: Retrospective interventional case series. METHODS: Both patients received a monthly infusion of tocilizumab 8 mg/kg; associated with corticosteroids. Outcome measures were visual acuity and central retinal thickness evaluated with optical coherence tomography. RESULTS: An improvement in visual acuity and a decrease in macular edema were observed in these two patients. CONCLUSIONS: Tocilizumab seems to be a promising treatment in refractory uveitis. A prospective study is needed to evaluate the role of this new agent in the management of refractory uveitis.

Mots clés: immunosuppressive agent/ therapeutic use; macular edema/drug therapy; receptor; interleukin-6/antagonist & inhibitor; retina/anatomy & histology/drug effect; tomography; treatment outcome; optical coherence; human; female; humanized/ therapeutic use; monoclonal; antibody; aged; adult; tumor necrosis factor-alpha/antagonist & inhibitor; uveitis/ drug therapy; visual acuity/drug effect; adrenal cortex hormones/therapeutic use

Domaines: Médecine humaine et pathologie; Organes des sens

Aurore Muselier, Philip Bielefeld, Samuel Bidot, Julien Vinit, Jean-François Besancenot, et al.. Efficacy of tocilizumab in two patients with anti-TNF-alpha refractory uveitis. Ocular Immunology and Inflammation, 2011, 19 (5), pp.382-383. ⟨10.3109/09273948.2011.606593⟩. ⟨hal-01183023⟩