Interleukin‐6 receptor inhibition with tocilizumab reduces disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis with inadequate response to disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs: The tocilizumab in combination with traditional disease‐modifying antirheumatic drug therapy study

To examine the efficacy and safety of the humanized anti-interleukin-6 receptor antibody tocilizumab combined with conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

A total of 1,220 patients were randomized (2:1 ratio) in the phase III, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter TOWARD (Tocilizumab in Combination With Traditional DMARD Therapy) study. Patients remained on stable doses of DMARDs and received tocilizumab 8 mg/kg or placebo (control group) every 4 weeks for 24 weeks.