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Efficacy and safety of tacrolimus in 101 consecutive patients with rheumatoid arthritis

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Modern Rheumatology

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the usefulness of tacrolimus (TAC) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. The first 101 consecutive RA patients in whom TAC treatment was initiated were prospectively registered and their data analyzed. Clinical variables were extracted from the Institute of Rheumatology, Rheumatoid Arthritis (IORRA) database. The 101 patients included 85 females and 16 males. Average doses of TAC were 1.62 mg/day at entry and 2.13 mg/day at month 12. The average doses of concomitantly prescribed prednisolone (6.92 mg/day) and methotrexate (MTX; 8.59 mg/week) were higher than those in all RA patients in the IORRA cohort. At month 12, 57 patients remained on TAC therapy; 18 patients had discontinued TAC due to side effects, and 16 patients had discontinued due to inefficacy. Adverse reactions responsible for discontinuation included gastrointestinal symptoms, renal dysfunction, and infection. According to the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) response criteria, 56.5% of the patients who continued TAC at 12 months experienced “good” or “moderate” responses. Through the use of last observation carried forward (LOCF) methodology, the average Disease Activity Score (DAS) 28 significantly improved. We confirmed the usefulness of TAC for the treatment of RA and found that TAC is suitable for RA patients who are unable to use biologic agents or to tolerate a high dose of MTX because of their complications or background factors.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the efforts of all members of the Institute of Rheumatology, Tokyo Women’s Medical University, for the management of the IORRA cohort. This study was supported by a research grant from 36 pharmaceutical companies for the large observational cohort study of RA at the Institute of Rheumatology, Tokyo Women’s Medical University.

Conflict of interest statement

Hisashi Yamanaka received consulting and/or speaking fees from Abbot Japan Co., Ltd.; Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; Eisai Co., Ltd.; Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation.; F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Ltd.; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited; and Wyeth K.K. The other authors have declared no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Rheumatology, Tokyo Women’s Medical University, 10-22 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-0054, Japan

    Mariko Kitahama, Hiroshi Okamoto, Yumi Koseki, Eisuke Inoue, Hirotaka Kaneko, Atsushi Taniguchi, Shigeki Momohara & Hisashi Yamanaka

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  1. Mariko Kitahama
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  2. Hiroshi Okamoto
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  3. Yumi Koseki
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  4. Eisuke Inoue
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  8. Hisashi Yamanaka
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Correspondence to Mariko Kitahama.

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Kitahama, M., Okamoto, H., Koseki, Y. et al. Efficacy and safety of tacrolimus in 101 consecutive patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Mod Rheumatol 20, 478–485 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10165-010-0319-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10165-010-0319-1

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