Efficacy and safety of canakinumab in the treatment of adult-onset Still's disease: A systematic review

• Published in: Seminars in arthritis and rheumatism 2021-12, Vol.51 (6), p.1282-1290
• Main Authors: Cota-Arce, Julián M., Cota, Jonhatan, De León-Nava, Marco A., Hernández-Cáceres, Alexia, Moncayo-Salazar, Leopoldo I., Valle-Alvarado, Fidel, Cordero-Moreno, Vera L., Bonfil-Solis, Karen L., Bichara-Figueroa, Jesús E., Hernández-Hernández, José, Villela, Luis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Adult-onset Still's disease; Anti-IL-1β; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized - adverse effects; AOSD; Arthritis, Juvenile - drug therapy; Autoinflammatory disease; Canakinumab; Humans; Macrophage Activation Syndrome - drug therapy; Still's Disease, Adult-Onset - diagnosis; Still's Disease, Adult-Onset - drug therapy
• ISSN: 0049-0172; 1532-866X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2021.08.007

•Seventeen studies published between 2012 and 2021 were identified, mostly case reports (11) and observational studies (4), and only one RCT and one analysis of pooled sJIA data.•Of a total of 99 patients treated with canakinumab, 68.7% of these presented a complete remission of the symptoms, while 16.2% of the patients showed a partial improvement, and the remaining (15.1%) did not show clinical improvement or were excluded.•Canakinumab was also associated with an acceptable safety profile, similar to expected in IL-1 inhibitor therapy.•The current use of canakinumab is encouraged by the increasing favorable results reported and the efficacy of other IL-1 inhibitors. Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a rare inflammatory disease, typically characterized by spiking fever, skin rash, and arthralgia or arthritis. Its conventional treatment includes NSAIDs and corticosteroids, and DMARDs as second-line therapy. Frequently, IL-1 inhibitors are also required, mainly in patients refractory to traditional therapy. Canakinumab is a monoclonal antibody that binds IL-1β with high affinity and specificity, making it appropriate for therapeutic purposes in AOSD. The aim of this systematic review was to identify and compile the current data on the efficacy and safety of canakinumab in the treatment of AOSD. Following the guidelines established by the PRISMA statement, we searched Scopus, Web of Science, Pubmed, and Cochrane Library for relevant literature up to March 2021. The inclusion criteria comprised: randomized controlled trials, pooled analyses, observational studies, case series, and case reports. Seventeen studies published from 2012 to 2021 were evaluated; 11 of these correspond to case series or case reports, four observational studies, one placebo-controlled phase II trial, and one analysis of pooled systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis data. In general, out of a total of 99 patients, 68.7% of these presented a complete remission of the systemic and arthritic manifestations at the end of the observation period, while 16.2% of the patients showed a partial improvement of the symptoms and the remaining (15.1%) did not show clinical improvement or were excluded. Moreover, 210 adverse events were reported in 69 patients during canakinumab treatment, of which the majority correspond to respiratory tract infections, arthralgia, disease flares, abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea, whereas the most common severe adverse events included macrophage activation s