OP0049 The lenght of remission and rate of relapse after tocilizumab withdrawal in rheumatoid arthritis patients

Background Although there is much discussion regarding when to initiate a biological agent in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, data on when to stop these agents is scant. Disease activity outcomes after the ending of an industry sponsored clinical trials may provide useful information regarding the duration of drug-free remission for a given biological agent. Objectives To assess the length of remission and rate of relapse of disease activity after ending the open label, long-term extension study (5 yrs) using tocilizumab in RA patients enrolled in the OPTION trial. Methods Patients who no longer received tocilizumab because of the ending of the extension study (5 yrs) of the OPTION trial were analyzed. All patients were: a) in remission (DAS28