Non‐Medical Switching from Tocilizumab to Sarilumab in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients with Low Disease Activity, an Observational Study

Abstract

Tocilizumab and sarilumab are IL‐6‐receptor antagonists registered for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with equal effectiveness and safety. Switching from tocilizumab to sarilumab could be a strategy to reduce injection burden, in case of drug shortages, and to reduce costs. This study therefore aims to investigate the effectiveness and safety of switching patients with RA with well‐controlled disease under tocilizumab treatment to sarilumab. Patients with RA with low Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28;‐CRP < 2.9 or < 3.5 with clinical judgment), on stable dose tocilizumab (> 6 months) were offered to switch to sarilumab. Patients who switched and consented were followed for 6 months. Sarilumab was started at 200 mg and double the last tocilizumab interval. Co‐primary outcomes at 6 months were (i) the 90% confidence interval (CI) of DAS28‐CRP change from baseline compared with the non‐inferiority margin of 0.6 and (ii) the 90% CI of the proportion of patients persisting with sarilumab, compared with a prespecified minimum of 70%. Of 50 invited patients, 25 agreed to switch to sarilumab, and 23 patients switched and were included. One patient was lost to follow‐up immediately after inclusion, therefore 22 patients are included in the analyses. At 6 months, mean change in DAS28‐CRP was 0.48 (90% CI: 0.11–0.87), compared with the non‐inferiority margin of 0.6. Sarilumab persistence was 68% (90% CI: 51–82%, 15 out of 22 patients), compared with the prespecified minimum of 70%. Non‐medical switching from tocilizumab to sarilumab in patients doing well on tocilizumab failed to show non‐inferiority regarding disease activity and drug persistence.