Is there a role for anti-IL6 therapy in SSc-associated ILD?

There may be a role for IL-6 inhibition for the treatment of ILD in scleroderma, but this has not been fully explored yet in clinical trials. However, the Phase II and Phase III studies of tocilizumab both suggested stabilization of FVC compared to the placebo arm. The Phase III faSScinate study included an early (<60 months) diffuse population with evidence of activity in their skin and elevated acute phase reactants, but not necessarily with ILD. However, around 65% of the study population had ILD on their baseline CT with baseline FVC around 80% and DLCO around 75%. The placebo arm of this study had about a 4% decline in % predicted FVC compared to <1% decline in the treatment arm at 48 weeks. Further study would need to include a more d...