What the trial was testing
The TitAIN enrolled 52 patients with giant cell arteritis. The study was sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was initial testing (phase 2). Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
70% in sustained remission on secukinumab vs. 20% on the comparison.
The Lancet Rheumatology · 2023 · NCT03765788
These findings — that in sustained remission at week 28 on secukinumab while tapering steroids — were published in the The Lancet Rheumatology and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 52 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with giant cell arteritis, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
Secukinumab (Cosentyx) is FDA-approved for psoriasis, ankylosing spondylitis, and other diseases — but is NOT yet FDA-approved for giant cell arteritis. Tocilizumab (Actemra) is the FDA-approved biologic for GCA. Ask a rheumatologist about approved options or whether you qualify for a secukinumab trial.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open giant cell arteritis trials
Early Temporal Dynamics of Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter After Therapy in GCA
Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is an inflammatory disease of large and medium arteries that can cause irreversible vision loss. Glucocorticoids (GCs) rapidly suppress inflammation, but diagnostic imaging tests such as temporal artery ultrasound or biopsy often become falsely negative within days of treatment. The optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD), measurable by ocular ultrasound, reflects perineural edema and may serve as a quantitative biomarker of ocular inflammation in GCA. The SONIC-TIME study (Early Temporal Dynamics of Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter After Glucocorticoid Therapy in Giant Cell Arteritis) is a single-center, prospective observational substudy embedded within SONIC-GCA (NCT05749094) at Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal. It aims to characterize how rapidly ONSD decreases after GC initiation and how this trajectory relates to cumulative GC exposure, intravenous methylprednisolone, and early use of steroid-sparing therapies. Sixty participants with newly diagnosed GCA will undergo serial optic nerve sheath ultrasound, blood tests (CRP, ESR), and when feasible, temporal artery ultrasound over the first two months of therapy (Days 3, 7, 10, 14, 21, 28, and Month 2). No experimental treatments are given; all participants receive standard-of-care therapy. The primary objective is to quantify the percent change in mean ONSD from baseline to Day 28. Secondary objectives include modeling ONSD change over time, assessing associations with cumulative steroid dose and inflammatory markers, and estimating the time to normalization below the SONIC-GCA cutoff. Findings will define the optimal imaging window and refine the diagnostic and monitoring role of optic nerve ultrasound in GCA.
A Clinical Trial to Investigate 18F-AzaFol in the Diagnosis of Large Vessel Vasculitis
The goal of this open-label clinical trial is to evaluate the efficacy of AzaFol-PET/CT in the diagnosis of GCA (giant cell arteritis), to compare AzaFol- with 2-\[18F\]FDG-PET/CT, and to assess the safety and tolerability of AzaFol in subjects with suspicion of GCA. Participants will undergo AzaFol-PET/CT imaging at a single timepoint.