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← Return to Knee pain and PMR?
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Hi,
Do you happen to know if kevzara treats GCA along with the PMR? I’m on taper 15mg right now. To bad prednisone to so bad for us because it helps me feel normal and pain free on it. I forget I have PMR when I’m taking prednisone but man PMR is so bad when not being treated.
Replies to "@kjoed53 Hi, Do you happen to know if kevzara treats GCA along with the PMR? I’m..."
Actemra (tocilizumab) is FDA approved for GCA.
Kevzara (sarilumab) is FDA approved for PMR.
If you have both PMR and GCA either medication might work and it is mostly a matter of doctor and patient preference. In research trials , both medications had similar results. They aren't the same medication but both are classified as an IL-6 inhibitor. IL-6 is the primary pro-inflammatory cytokine implicated in both PMR and GCA.
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Actemra was FDA approved for GCA in 2017.
https://www.roche.com/media/releases/med-cor-2017-05-23
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Actemra (tocilizumab) in no longer patented. There are already 3 biosimilars. A biosimilar is like a generic version of a medication. They are less expensive but still costly. There are more options to treat GCA.
Artificial intelligence says:
These biosimilars represent major improvements in treatment access and affordability:
Tyenne (tocilizumab-aazg): Developed by Fresenius Kabi, it is available in both intravenous (IV) and subcutaneous (SC) formulations.
Avtozma (tocilizumab-anoh): Approved by Celltrion, this biosimilar is also offered in both IV and SC formulations.
Tofidence (tocilizumab-bavi): Developed by Biogen, this option is currently approved for intravenous administration.
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Usually tocilizumab/actemra is prescribed for GCA and PMR combo instead of kevzara. I think they both are IL-6 biologics, but kevzara is not approved for GCA. There's a difference between the two, but I'm not sure what that is other than the FDA approval.