Certolizumab pegol in the treatment of Takayasu arteritis: the first experience and prospects

Certolizumab pegol (CZP) is the only pegylated biological agent (BA) that does not contain an Fc fragment, which minimizes its transplacental transfer. Takayasu arteritis mostly occurs in reproductive-aged women. Objective: to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CZP used to treat standard immunosuppressive therapy-resistant Takayasu arteritis. Subjects and methods. The retrospective study enrolled 6 female patients aged 18 to 35 years with Takayasu arteritis who received CZP. The median disease duration before BA usage was 66 months (24 to 204 months). The median duration of immunosuppressive therapy prior to CZP treatment was 92 months (14 to 132 months). All the female patients had taken glucocorticoids and methotrexate before and during CZP therapy. Only four patients had received two to five immunosuppressive drugs at different times prior to BA administration. Three patients had previously used other BAs. The disease activity was determined by the National Institute of Health (NIH