To: Mike, sjc123

You asked why we're switching from Actemra to Rinvoq—great question.

Here’s the backstory: I was first diagnosed with GCA/PMR in 2019. After a long stretch in remission from late 2021 through 2024, I flared again in mid-2024. That meant going back up to 40 mg of prednisone, then tapering down to 8 mg before flaring again.

In January 2025, I flared at 8 mg. My rheumatologist suggested Actemra as a possibility, so we increased prednisone to 15 mg to control the flare and started Actemra. Since then, I’ve tapered back down to 8–9 mg—and flared again,twice.

At this point, my rheumatologist has concluded that Actemra isn’t helping me reach our target of 3–5 mg of prednisone. His current recommendation is to try Rinvoq.

—Asa