Siltuximab: a new option for the management of Castleman's disease

• Published in: Drugs of today (Barcelona, Spain : 1998) Vol. 51; no. 1; p. 21
• Main Author: Barquero, N
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Spain 01.01.2015
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies, Monoclonal - adverse effects; Antibodies, Monoclonal - pharmacokinetics; Antibodies, Monoclonal - therapeutic use; Castleman Disease - drug therapy; Castleman Disease - immunology; Castleman Disease - metabolism; Castleman Disease - pathology; Drug Interactions; Humans; Immunosuppressive Agents - adverse effects; Immunosuppressive Agents - pharmacokinetics; Immunosuppressive Agents - therapeutic use; Interleukin-6 - antagonists & inhibitors; Interleukin-6 - immunology; Interleukin-6 - metabolism; Signal Transduction - drug effects; Treatment Outcome; Siltuximab; CNTO-328; Castleman's disease; Lymphoproliferative disorders; Interleukin-6
• ISSN: 1699-3993
• DOI: 10.1358/dot.2015.51.1.2234002

Castleman's disease is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder the underlying mechanism of which remains unclear. However, interleukin-6 (IL-6) may play a role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Blockade of the IL-6 pathway has been explored in multiple preclinical and clinical studies with promising results for the treatment of different types of cancer and Castleman's disease. Siltuximab is a human/murine chimeric immunoglobulin G1kappa (IgG1kappa) monoclonal antibody against human IL-6. It binds to IL-6 neutralizing its biological activity. Recent phase II clinical studies in patients with multicentric Castleman's disease have shown the efficacy and safety of siltuximab in patients with this condition. Results from this study led to the recent approval of siltuximab for the treatment of Castleman's disease by the FDA and EMA.