Analysis of the Mechanism of Action of Biological Therapies in Monotherapy in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Beyond the ADACTA Study

Abstract

The ADACTA study ADACTA is the first head-to-head study comparing two biological agents, tocilizumab and adalimumab on monotherapy. ADACTA was AbstractThe recently-published first head-to-head study comparing the efficacy of two biological drugs on monotherapy, tocilizumab and adalimumab, found better results for tocilizumab. Both are cytokine-specific antagonists: adalimumab targets tumor necrosis factor and tocilizumab targets interleukin-6 receptor.The aim of our review was to determine differences in the mechanisms of action of adalimumab and tocilizumab, in order to explain the differing results found, and to describe the immunologic and clinical aspects of the two drugs.