Tocilizumab is linked to lower heart risk in giant cell arteritis
Two-year incidence of major cardiovascular events was 7.5% with tocilizumab compared with 10.5% with methotrexate in a study of 1,667 patients.
Limit: Results apply only to adults hospitalized for giant cell arteritis, not the general population
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
A nationwide observational study in France evaluated 1,667 adults with an average age of 73.6 years hospitalized for newly diagnosed giant cell arteritis, an inflammatory blood vessel disease. Women made up 69.0% of the group. Within six months after discharge, 912 patients initiated tocilizumab and 755 initiated methotrexate. Researchers tracked first major cardiovascular events, defined as a coronary event, ischemic stroke, or death.
At two years, the cumulative incidence of these events was 7.5% with tocilizumab and 10.5% with methotrexate, an absolute risk difference of 3.0 percentage points. Tocilizumab was associated with a lower overall risk, with a hazard ratio of 0.79. This link was driven by fewer coronary events, which occurred in 1.9% of tocilizumab patients and 3.4% with methotrexate, with a hazard ratio of 0.59. For ischemic stroke and death from any cause, the range of likely values included no difference.
Why it matters
In older adults, chronic inflammation contributes to atherosclerosis, the narrowing of arteries that drives cardiovascular disease with age. The findings support a potential role for interleukin-6 signaling in the progression of artery disease, suggesting that anti-inflammatory strategies may help reduce cardiovascular risk.
Caveats
The study was observational rather than a randomized trial, so unmeasured factors could have influenced the link between the medications and heart outcomes. The results also apply only to adults hospitalized for newly diagnosed giant cell arteritis who started tocilizumab or methotrexate within six months, not to other patient groups or the general population.
The paper
European Hospital Georges Pompidou; Pitie Salpetriere APHP University Hospital
ESC Congress 2026 Abstract, Oct 26, 2026
Presented at ESC Congress 2026
