SynthesisFrontiers in pharmacology2025
Effectiveness and safety of tocilizumab in refractory noninfectious uveitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Frontiers in pharmacology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Blood-Ocular Barrier Dysfunction in Uveitis: A Bidirectional Model Linking Pathogenesis, Clinical Monitoring, and Therapeutic Opportunities.Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Real‑world analysis of Macular Oedema associated with Paclitaxel Formulations using the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report database.PloS one · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Purpose: The aim of this study was to comprehensively evaluate the efficacy and safety of tocilizumab in patients with refractory noninfectious uveitis (NIU) through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov from inception to 13 July 2025. Eligible studies included case series and cohort studies evaluating clinical outcomes of tocilizumab in NIU. Study quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Case Series Checklist and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. A single-arm meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model. Results: Thirteen studies involving 374 patients were included. The pooled rate of sustained inactive uveitis was 57.08% (95% CI: 46.94%-66.96%), and the overall inflammation remission rate at the final follow-up was 75.23% (95% CI: 64.04%-85.09%). Macular edema resolved in 93.22% of patients (95% CI: 86.76%-98.01%), with a mean reduction in a central macular thickness of 143.57 µm. Mean visual acuity improved by -0.29 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) (95% CI: -0.55 to -0.04). The pooled glucocorticoid discontinuation rate was 40.25% (95% CI: 13.43%-70.27%). During the follow-up period, the pooled incidence of adverse events and serious adverse events was 13.05% (95% CI: 8.88%-17.78%) and 4.41% (95% CI: 1.08%-9.16%), respectively. Subgroup analysis suggested greater efficacy among patients treated for ≥9 months. Conclusion: Tocilizumab provides meaningful clinical benefit with acceptable safety in refractory NIU related to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, particularly in patients with macular edema. These results support the use of tocilizumab as a viable second-line therapeutic option following the failure of conventional immunosuppressants and antitumor necrosis factor alpha agents. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251069626, identifier CRD420251069626.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.