A biologic is a medication derived from living things. These things can be human but not necessarily. The biologic I take is derived from mice. It took me time to get used to the idea that I would be injecting it into my body.

Most biologic medications are very expensive. The cost is hard to appreciate until you appreciate the research involved and what it takes to produce biologics.

I take Actemra (tocilizumab) for refractory PMR and it works for me. My rheumatologist was excited about Actemra being FDA approved for GCA. I was only diagnosed with PMR so my rheumatolgist submitted a request to get Actemra approved for me. He made sure I was willing to try Actemra before submitting the request.

Another biologic called Kevzara (sarilumab) was recently FDA approved for PMR. My rhematologist is excited about Kevzara too. He says it is good to have alternatives to prednisone.

I haven't had any serious side effects from Actemra but side effects are possible. My labs are monitored every 3 months to see if I have side effects. I was also screened for "latent conditions" before I ever received authorization to get Actemra.

Serious infections sometimes resulting in death scares people. I haven't had any serious infections ... not even covid.

People with a history of diverticulitis or other gastrointestinal conditions shouldn't be given Actemra. I didn't have that problem but people on prednisone frequently do.