Therapeutic effect of certolizumab pegol in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in daily clinical practice: A single-center, retrospective study

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of certolizumab pegol (CZP), a newly-introduced tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) inhibitor (TNFi) with pharmacological characteristics distinct from other TNFis, which is approved for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare.Patients and Methods: The clinical course of patients with RA who received CZP treatment at a Rheumatology Department of a referral hospital in Japan were retrospectively evaluated to assess the clinical efficacy and adverse events (AEs) of CZP.Results: Eight of the ten patients completed 24 weeks of CZP treatment, and six patients with sufficient information on clinical course were evaluated to assess RA disease activity. All six patients, including those with a history of treatment with other TNFis and two patients who received concurrent treatment with three subcutaneous TNFis, achieved improvement in RA disease activity. Conversely, two patients had to terminate CZP treatment in less than three months after CZP treatment initiation due to AEs. Importantly, both of the patients received glucocorticoids concurrently with CZP.Conclusion: CZP might have utility even in RA patients that are refractory to other TNFis. However, careful observation for early AEs, particularly in patients with concomitant glucocorticoid use, is indispensable.