Key clinical point: Tocilizumab (TCZ) was associated with an increased risk for diverticulitis and gastrointestinal (GI) perforation related to diverticulitis compared with rituximab (RTX) and abatacept (ABA) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Major finding: TCZ vs. RTX or ABA was associated with an increased risk for diverticulitis (hazard ratio [HR], 3.1; P = .002) and GI perforation because of diverticulitis (HR, 2.9; P = .03).
Study details: Data come from an analysis of a real-life cohort of 4,501 patients with RA from 3 observational registries of the French Society of Rheumatology who received RTX (n=1,986), ABA (n=1,019), or TCZ (n=1,496).
Disclosures: The French Society of Rheumatology received unrestricted grants from Bristol Myers Squibb, Roche, and Roche-Chugai. Some of the authors including the lead author declared receiving grants and consulting/speaker/personal fees from various sources including Bristol Myers Squibb. C Rempenault, A Herrero, and I Pane declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Rempenault C et al. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2021 May 16. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keab438 .