{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T21:59:53Z","timestamp":1789595993978,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,26]],"date-time":"2026-05-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1779753600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Med."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>To describe the experience of using olokizumab (OKZ) in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) who have contraindications or an inadequate response to methotrexate and require steroid-sparing therapy, and to analyze treatment outcomes in this cohort.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A case series included 23 patients with PMR [including giant-cell arteritis (GCA) in 9 patients] treated with OKZ. The assessment of disease activity was carried out using the PMR-activity score (AS) index, as well as laboratory parameters [erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP)]. The statistical analysis was performed using the StatTech v program. 4.7.3.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Olokizumab therapy resulted in a significant decrease in PMR activity: the PMR-AS index decreased from 18.6 (14.2\u201324.4) to 3.01 (1.62\u20136.09) points by 12\u201324th weeks. Most patients (86.3%) who received therapy achieved remission or low disease activity. Laboratory parameters have also improved: ESR values decreased from 32.00 (20.00\u201347.00) to 7.00 (5.00\u20138.50) mm\/h, and CRP \u2013 from 14.10 (8.10\u201340.80) to 0.85 (0.30\u20132.15) mg\/l. The steroid dose decreased from 7.5 (5.0\u201315.0) to 2.50 (0.00\u20132.50) mg\/day by week 24. The results listed above were statistically significant (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt; 0.05). The disease duration of less than 36 months at the time of initiation of therapy proved to be a significant predictor of achieving low PMR activity (AUC = 0.912;\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 0.024).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Olokizumab demonstrated high efficacy in reducing the activity of PMR, laboratory markers of inflammation and the dose of steroids in patients with inefficacy or intolerance to methotrexate.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2026.1735764","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,26]],"date-time":"2026-05-26T04:39:59Z","timestamp":1779770399000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Direct interleukin-6 inhibitor olokizumab in the treatment of polymyalgia rheumatica: a case series"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Alexey D.","family":"Meshkov","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Russian Clinical and Research Center of Gerontology","place":["Moscow, Russia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alexey L.","family":"Maslyanskiy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Almazov National Medical Research Center","place":["Saint Petersburg, Russia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anton L.","family":"Chudinov","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Rheumatology Hospital No. 25 Named After V.A. Nasonova","place":["Saint-Petersburg, Russia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elena P.","family":"Ilivanova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Leningrad Regional Clinical Hospital","place":["Saint-Petersburg, Russia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ilya O.","family":"Smitienko","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical Center K+31","place":["Moscow, Russia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pavel I.","family":"Novikov","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University Clinical Hospital #3, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University","place":["Moscow, Russia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anna V.","family":"Torgashina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"V.A. Nasonova Research Institute of Rheumatology","place":["Moscow, Russia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Evgeniy V.","family":"Arseniev","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"V.A. Nasonova Research Institute of Rheumatology","place":["Moscow, Russia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Natalia O.","family":"Khovasova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Russian Clinical and Research Center of Gerontology","place":["Moscow, Russia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anton V.","family":"Naumov","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Russian Clinical and Research Center of Gerontology","place":["Moscow, Russia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Olga N.","family":"Tkacheva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Russian Clinical and Research Center of Gerontology","place":["Moscow, Russia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Evgeny G.","family":"Zotkin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"V.A. 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