How many times should tocilizumab be used at most?

The frequency of use of tocilizumab depends on the patient's disease status, response to treatment, and physician recommendations. Typically, tocilizumab use is long-term and may require regular injections. Tocilizumab may be used as monotherapy or in combination with methotrexate or other nonbiologic drugs, as an intravenous infusion or subcutaneous injection. Because body weight may fluctuate, do not alter the dose based solely on weight measurements at a single visit.

For diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, tocilizumab is usually injected once every 2 to 4 weeks. The recommended dose of tocilizumab for adult patients is 4 mg/kg every 4 weeks, then increased to 8 mg/kg every 4 weeks based on clinical response. Treatment is usually continued for months to years. For diseases such as giant cell arteritis, the recommended dose is 6 mg/kg every 4 weeks. Based on clinical considerations, a dose of 162 mg subcutaneously every other week may be prescribed, which can be used alone after discontinuation of glucocorticoids.

TocilizumabThe original drug has been launched in China and has been included in the medical insurance. Due to its short time on the market, the second-line treatment of systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis is still limited to traditional treatments for rheumatoid arthritisDMARDs To treat patients whose disease activity has decreased by less than 50% in 3 to 6 months, Tocilizumab injection can only be used as directed by the doctor. Its price is around RMB 8,600, which is relatively expensive. The price of the European version of tocilizumab original drug available overseas is around around RMB 14,000 (the price may fluctuate due to the exchange rate). The ingredients and efficacy of the two drugs are basically the same. Currently, there are no generic drugs produced and marketed overseas, and patients can choose by themselves.