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
Performance of a Fast-track Pathway for Giant Cell Arteritis Diagnosis
Giant cell arteritis is a vasculitis, i.e. inflammation of the artery walls, which generally affects people over the age of 50. Diagnosis can be long and difficult, as the clinical signs are not specific (headache, pain in the jaw, scalp, shoulders and/or pelvis, abdominal pain, weight loss, etc.), but it must be made quickly, given the risk of complications. The reference method for diagnosis was initially based on clinical suspicion and analysis of a "piece of temporal artery" (biopsy) performed in the operating theatre under local anaesthetic. Since the mid-1990s, improvements in ultrasound techniques have made it possible to identify a sign, known as a halo, on the temporal arteries that is typical of patients with Giant Cell Arteritis. A prospective multicenter study published in 2024 demonstrated that, in patients with a clinical suspicion of Giant Cell Arteritis, if a halo was found on both temporal arteries by ultrasound, there was no need for a biopsy. This study is at the origin of a change in practices in the diagnosis and care of patients suffering from this disabling disease. To facilitate early diagnosis, a fast-track pathway has been set up. The aim is to make a rapid diagnosis, thereby reducing the risk of after-effects, shortening the length of hospital stays, considering outpatient treatment and limiting the number of biopsies. The investigators propose to evaluate the performance of this fast-track pathway.
Pilot Study to evaluateThrombomodulin to Rule Out Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) in Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) Patients. (THROPIQ)
Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is a rheumatologic condition occurring in patients \> 50 years old, characterized by inflammatory pain of the scapular (shoulder) and pelvic (hip) girdles. PMR is most often isolated but can be associated with giant cell arteritis (GCA), a large vessels vasculitis, in 16 to 21% of case. The main features of GCA are headaches, jaw claudication, visual disturbances, abnormal temporal artery, scalp tenderness associated to elevated CRP and/or ESR. However, GCA could be asymptomatic in particular in case of isolated involvement of large vessels (subclinical GCA). GCA requires high doses of glucocorticoids, compared to isolated PMR, to avoid complications resulting from vascular remodeling (stroke, blindness). Ruling out GCA in PMR patients relies on the performance of some complementary exams that explore cranial vessels as color doppler ultrasound and/or temporal artery biopsy and large vessels that relies on PET/FDG or angio CT scan. The aim of this study is to identifie serum biomarkers that could rule out or identifies GCA in patients with PMR features. Ultimately, if biomarkers are identified, this could allow to select PMR patients in whom complementary exams are needed or not. For this study, investigators chose to explore thrombomodulin. Thrombomodulin is a protein that is increased in the circulating blood during vascular inflammation, and therefore seems to be a good candidate for distinguish isolated PMR from PMR associated with GCA.