Efficacy of canakinumab in patients with Still's disease across different lines of biologic therapy: real-life data from the International AIDA Network Registry for Still's Disease.

Introduction: The effectiveness of canakinumab may change according to the different times it is used after Still's disease onset. This study aimed to investigate whether canakinumab (CAN) shows differences in short- and long-term therapeutic outcomes, according to its use as different lines of biologic treatment.
Methods: Patients included in this study were retrospectively enrolled from the AutoInflammatory Disease Alliance (AIDA) International Registry dedicated to Still's disease. Seventy-seven (51 females and 26 males) patients with Still's disease were included in the present study. In total, 39 (50.6%) patients underwent CAN as a first-line biologic agent, and the remaining 38 (49.4%) patients were treated with CAN as a second-line biologic agent or subsequent biologic agent.
Results: No statistically significant differences were found between patients treated with CAN as a first-line biologic agent and those previously treated with other biologic agents in terms of the frequency of complete response ( p  =0.62), partial response ( p  =0.61), treatment failure ( p  >0.99), and frequency of patients discontinuing CAN due to lack or loss of efficacy ( p  =0.2). Of all the patients, 18 (23.4%) patients experienced disease relapse during canakinumab treatment, 9 patients were treated with canakinumab as a first-line biologic agent, and nine patients were treated with a second-line or subsequent biologic agent. No differences were found in the frequency of glucocorticoid use ( p  =0.34), daily glucocorticoid dosage ( p  =0.47), or concomitant methotrexate dosage ( p  =0.43) at the last assessment during CAN treatment.
Conclusion: Canakinumab has proved to be effective in patients with Still's disease, regardless of its line of biologic treatment.
Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
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