Mavrilimumab: an evidence based review of its potential in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) management has greatly improved with the development of biologic disease modifying antirheumatic drugs, but a proportion of patients do not improve despite the biologic drugs currently available. We need new biologic agents with novel mechanisms of action for the treatment of refractory patients. Recent evidence has shown that granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is involved in the pathogenesis of RA. GM-CSF can exacerbate RA and elevated levels of this cytokine have been observed in synovial fluid from RA patients. Antagonism of GM-CSF can strikingly reduce established disease in mouse models of arthritis. Mavrilimumab, a human monoclonal antibody to GM-CSF receptor α, is a competitive antagonist of GM-CSF signaling. Phase I and II studies have shown good clinical response with a good safety profile in patients with mild to moderate RA, suggesting encouraging effects of mavrilimumab for the treatment of RA. This paper reviews the preclinical and clinical data evaluating the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of mavrilimumab in the treatment of RA.