Key clinical point: Tocilizumab was more effective than etanercept in inhibiting the radiographic progression of joint erosion in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with joint damage progression being significantly associated with the baseline clinical disease activity index (CDAI) score.
Major finding: At 12 months, a significantly higher proportion of patients showed no radiographic progression of joint erosion with tocilizumab vs etanercept (change in total Sharp/van der Heijde score [erosion] ≤0%; 86.8% vs 63.2%; P = .032). The progression of radiographic joint erosion was significantly correlated with the baseline CDAI score (odds ratio 1.05; P = .037).
Study details: This was a retrospective cohort study including 187 patients with RA who received tocilizumab or etanercept for at least 12 months.
Disclosures: This study did not report the source of funding. The authors declared no conflict of interests.
Source: Hayashi S et al. Comparison of the inhibitory effect of tocilizumab and etanercept on the progression of joint erosion in rheumatoid arthritis treatment. Sci Rep . 2022;12(1):17524 (Oct 20). Doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-22152-w