ACTEMRA ACTPEN (tocilizumab)


Drug overview for ACTEMRA ACTPEN (tocilizumab):

Generic name: tocilizumab (TOE-si-LIZ-ue-mab)
Drug class: Monoclonal Antibody, Human Interleukin 6 Inhibitors
Therapeutic class: Analgesic, Anti-inflammatory or Antipyretic

Tocilizumab, tocilizumab-aazg, and tocilizumab-bavi, recombinant humanized immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) monoclonal antibodies specific for the interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor, are biologic response modifiers and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Tocilizumab-aazg (Tyenne(R)) and tocilizumab-bavi (Tofidence(R)) are biosimilar to tocilizumab (Actemra(R)). FDA defines a biosimilar as a biological product that is highly similar to an FDA-licensed reference biological with the exception of minor differences in clinically inactive components and for which there are no clinically meaningful differences in safety, purity, or potency.

The claim of biosimilarity is based on a totality-of-evidence approach, which includes consideration of data from analytical, animal, and clinical studies (e.g., human pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies, clinical immunogenicity assessment, additional comparative clinical studies). Therefore, biosimilarity may be established even when there are formulation or minor structural differences as long as these differences are not clinically meaningful. Biosimilars are approved through an abbreviated licensure pathway that establishes biosimilarity between the proposed biological and the reference biological but does not independently establish safety and effectiveness of the proposed biological.

In order to be considered an interchangeable biosimilar, a biological product must meet additional requirements beyond demonstrating biosimilarity to its reference product; these requirements include demonstrating that the biological product can be expected to produce the same clinical results as the reference product in any given patient and, for a biological product that is administered more than once to an individual, the risk in terms of safety or diminished efficacy of alternating or switching between use of the biological product and the reference product is no greater than the risk of using the reference product without such alteration or switch. Biosimilar products that are interchangeable can be substituted for the reference product without the intervention of the healthcare provider who prescribed the reference product. None of the currently available tocilizumab biosimilars has interchangeable data at this time. In this monograph, unless otherwise stated, the term ''tocilizumab products'' refers to tocilizumab (the reference drug) and its biosimilars (tocilizumab-aazg and tocilizumab-bavi).

Two tocilizumab biosimilars are currently available. Biosimilarity of these products has been demonstrated for the indications described in Table 1. Biosimilarity to originator tocilizumab is additionally supported by comparative clinical studies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Table 1. Tocilizumab Biosimilar Products and FDA-licensed Indications FDA RA GCA SSc-ILD PJIA SJIA CRS COVID-19 labeled indicati on Tocilizu X X X X mab-aazg Tocilizu X X X X X mab-bavi Abbreviations: CRS, cytokine release syndrome; GCA, giant cell arteritis; PJIA, polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; SJIA, systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis; SSc-ILD, systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease.
DRUG IMAGES
  • No Image Available
    No Image Available
The following indications for ACTEMRA ACTPEN (tocilizumab) have been approved by the FDA:

Indications:
Giant cell arteritis
Polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease
Systemic-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis


Professional Synonyms:
Arthritis deformans
Arthrosis deformans
Cranial arteritis
Extracranial arteritis
Giant-cell arteritis
Granulomatous arteritis
Horton's arteritis
Juvenile-onset Still's disease
Lung disease with systemic sclerosis
Nodose rheumatism
Polyarticular JIA
Polyarticular JRA
Polyarticular juvenile chronic arthritis
Polyarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatic arthritis
Rheumatic gout
Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Systemic-onset JIA
Systemic-onset JRA
Systemic-onset juvenile chronic arthritis
Systemic-onset juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
Temporal arteritis