Pharmacotherapy of Systemic Sclerosis: A Comparison of Skin Score with Fresolimumab and Tocilizumab

Systemic Sclerosis is a disease that affects millions worldwide. Research indicates that people suffering from systemic sclerosis respond well to monoclonal antibody treatment aimed at characteristic immune cell markers. By targeting immune cell markers, the immune system is subsequently suppressed in a way such that disease activity is decreased. Monoclonal antibody treatments targeted towards a variety of immune cell markers have historically been shown to result in decreases in systemic sclerosis disease activity. Many studies have assessed disease activity with monoclonal antibody treatments, but few have compared different treatments. A systematic review of a study that assessed the disease activity using modified Rodnan skin scores (mRSS) for those taking tocilizumab was then compared to the findings of another study which assessed the disease activity with those taking fresolimumab. The patients treated with tocilizumab had significantly decreased mRSS’s when compared with other matched controls. Those who were treated with fresolimumab had significantly decreased mRSS’s when compared with other matched controls. However, those who were treated with fresolimumab had a greater reduction of disease activity as compared to control groups than did those who were treated with tocilizumab. Monoclonal antibody treatments for systemic sclerosis are widespread. It is critical that these treatments are compared in order to find those with the greatest efficacy. For this review, fresolimumab seemed to have a greater reduction of disease activity than did tocilizumab. Further studies with greater sample sizes are needed to conclude which has greater efficacy.