Identification of differential co-expressed gene networks in early rheumatoid arthritis achieving sustained drug-free remission after treatment with a tocilizumab-based or methotrexate-based strategy

Background: Methotrexate is endorsed to be used as first-line treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, a large proportion of patients need additional treatment with a biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) to adequately suppress their disease activity. A better understanding of genotypes could help to distinguish between patients with different pathogenic mechanisms. The aim of this study was therefore to identify networks of genes within DMARD-naive early RA patients associated with achieving sustained drug-free remission (sDFR) after initiating tocilizumab plus meth... Mehr ...