Method for treating rheumatoid arthritis with a human IL-6 receptor antibody and methotrexate

A method for achieving an American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 70 response in a rheumatoid arthritis patient, comprising administering to the patient a combination of (i) 8 mg/kg of a humanized anti-interleukin-6 receptor (anti-IL-6R) antibody MRA every four weeks, wherein the anti-IL-6R monoclonal antibody MRA is administered intravenously, and (ii) methotrexate (MTX), wherein the MTX is orally administered once per week at a dose in a range of 10 to 25 mg, wherein the patient would not have achieved an ACR70 response with administration of MRA alone or methotrexate (MTX) alone.

A method for increasing the likelihood of achieving an American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 70 response in a rheumatoid arthritis patient, comprising administering to the patient a combination of (i) 8 mg/kg of a humanized anti-interleukin-6 receptor (anti-IL-6R) antibody MRA every four weeks, wherein the anti-IL-6R monoclonal antibody MRA is administered intravenously, and (ii) methotrexate (MTX), wherein the MTX is orally administered once per week at a dose in a range of 10 to 25 mg, and wherein administration of (i) and (ii) in a tested population of rheumatoid arthritis patients resulted in an American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 70 response in a larger percentage of patients than the sum of percentages for administration of (i) alone and (ii) alone.