Giant cell arteritis is an inflammation of blood vessels, especially those supplying the head and eyes. It affects about 1 in 500 people over 50, more often women. Without treatment it can cause vision loss, but steroid drugs control symptoms in most cases. The challenge is reducing long-term steroid exposure.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing drugs that target specific immune signals, aiming to replace or reduce steroids. Tocilizumab is FDA-approved for giant cell arteritis and is being studied in different dosing schedules. Researchers are also testing JAK inhibitors, drugs that block IL-6 and IL-17, and imaging techniques to guide treatment decisions and catch relapses earlier.
Steroid-sparing drugs
Tocilizumab reduces the steroid dose needed to control giant cell arteritis. Trials are testing whether other immune-targeting drugs can do the same, with fewer long-term side effects than prolonged steroids.
JAK inhibitors
Pills that block JAK enzymes show promise in early studies. They may work faster than current options and could be easier to take than infusions.
Advanced imaging
PET scans and ultrasound can show inflammation in blood vessel walls. Trials are using imaging to guide when to stop treatment and detect flares before symptoms appear.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on how recently giant cell arteritis was diagnosed, current steroid dose, whether disease is active or in remission, and prior treatments tried.
What types of trials are currently open
- Treatment trials — Testing new drugs, often infusions or pills, to see if they control inflammation while allowing lower steroid doses or stopping steroids entirely.
- Relapse prevention trials — Testing whether continuing or changing treatment after initial control prevents disease flares when steroids are tapered.
- Imaging studies — Using PET or ultrasound to measure blood vessel inflammation and see if imaging can guide treatment decisions better than symptoms alone.
- Biomarker studies — Looking for blood tests or genetic markers that predict who will respond to specific treatments or who is at higher risk for complications.
Recently added Giant Cell Arteritis trials
Share your health data to improve giant cell arteritis monitoring
Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) is a vasculitis of medium- and large-sized arteries in older adults that may lead to serious vascular complications, including permanent vision loss and aortic aneurysm formation. Glucocorticoids are effective, but relapse during tapering is common and poses a major clinical challenge, potentially contributing to prolonged glucocorticoid exposure. Symptoms are often nonspecific and conventional inflammatory markers lack sufficient reliability, particularly in patients treated with drugs targeting the interleukin-6 pathway. Thus, this project aims to evaluate different tools assisting disease activity monitoring and/or predict future relapses and higher treatment requirements. Up to 175 patients with GCA in remission will be enrolled to ensure that 144 participants complete 1 year of follow-up. Participants undergo vascular ultrasonography, including double-blinded assessment at suspected relapse, complete patient-reported outcome measures, and provide biobank blood samples.
Take a new immune therapy with a steroid taper for polymyalgia rheumatica
This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, Phase 4, 3-group study to assess whether treatment with sarilumab at either 150 mg q2w (once every two weeks) or at 200 mg q2w, each given with a 52-week prednisone taper, is superior to placebo given with a 52-week prednisone taper in participants with early polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and to determine the safety and tolerability of the sarilumab regimens. The study will consist of the following visits: Visit 1 (D-42 to D-1): Screening, Visit 2 (D1): Baseline, randomization, first study drug administration, Visit 3 to 12 (Week 2 to Week 52): Treatment period, Visit 13 (Week 52): End of Treatment (EOT) visit, Visit 14 (Week 58): End of Study (EOS) visit.
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