Effect of Tocilizumab to the Cellular Immune Response to Influenza Vaccine

Summary

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are prone to respiratory infections and therefore recommmended to receive vaccination against seasonal influenza. We and others have shown a relatively preserved humoral response to vaccination in RA patients. However, the cellular response as well as the effect of biologics such as tocilizumab on the cellular response has not been weel studied. The purpose of this study is the evaluate the effect of tocilizumab on the cellular immune response to influenza vaccine in patients with RA in comparison with healthy controls

Timeline

Start

2013-11

Primary completion

2014-02

Completion

2014-02

Publications

• Background Elkayam O, Amir S, Mendelson E, Schwaber M, Grotto I, Wollman J, Arad U, Brill A, Paran D, Levartovsky D, Wigler I, Caspi D, Mandelboim M. Efficacy and safety of vaccination against pandemic 2009 influenza A (H1N1) virus among patients with rheumatic diseases. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2011 Jul;63(7):1062-7. doi: 10.1002/acr.20465.
• Background Arad U, Tzadok S, Amir S, Mandelboim M, Mendelson E, Wigler I, Sarbagil-Maman H, Paran D, Caspi D, Elkayam O. The cellular immune response to influenza vaccination is preserved in rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with rituximab. Vaccine. 2011 Feb 11;29(8):1643-8. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2010.12.072. Epub 2011 Jan 4.

Drugs

Indications