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Updated: Jun 16, 2026

An Immunohistopathologic Study to Profile the Folate Receptor Beta Macrophage and Vascular Immune Microenvironment in Giant Cell Arteritis
06:35

An Immunohistopathologic Study to Profile the Folate Receptor Beta Macrophage and Vascular Immune Microenvironment in Giant Cell Arteritis

Published on: February 8, 2019

Emerging pharmacotherapies for large-vessel vasculitis

Esther F Vicente-Rabaneda1,2, Marina Dueñas-Ochoa1, Patricia Muñoz Hernández3

  • 1Rheumatology Division, Hospital Universitario de La Princesa, IIS-Princesa, Madrid, Spain.

Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy
|June 15, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Large-vessel vasculitis (LVV) treatments rapidly respond to glucocorticoids but often relapse. Newer therapies like Tocilizumab and JAK inhibitors show promise for sustained remission in GCA and TAK patients.

Area of Science:

  • Rheumatology
  • Immunology
  • Internal Medicine

Background:

  • Large-vessel vasculitis (LVV) encompasses diverse conditions like giant cell arteritis (GCA) and Takayasu's arteritis (TAK).
  • Current treatments often involve high-dose glucocorticoids, leading to frequent relapses upon dose reduction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review epidemiological and clinical features of LVV.
  • To discuss established and emerging therapeutic strategies for LVV management.

Main Methods:

  • A narrative review approach was employed.
  • Literature search conducted on PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library (2016-present).

Main Results:

  • Glucocorticoids provide rapid initial response but are associated with high relapse rates.
  • Tocilizumab demonstrates efficacy as a glucocorticoid-sparing agent in GCA and TAK.
  • JAK inhibitors show potential for inducing remission and reducing glucocorticoid dependency.

Conclusions:

  • Treatment should adhere to a treat-to-target (T2T) strategy for clinical remission.
  • Tocilizumab and JAK inhibitors represent significant advancements in LVV therapy.
  • Further research into novel therapeutic options is crucial for improving long-term outcomes in LVV.
Abstract

Keywords:
Anti-interleukin-6 receptor tocilizumabJAK inhibitorsTakayasu´s arteritisaortitisbiologicsgiant cell arteritisglucocorticoidslarge vessel vasculitis

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