Fig. 4

Serum concentrations of IL-6 (A), sIL-6R (B), and CRP (C) vs time profiles and ESR over time (D) by visits and dose level. Baseline was defined as the last nonmissing assessment on or before the first TCZ dose of the dosing period. The last dose could be the fifth or sixth dose, according to the investigator’s decision. Three patients received a sixth dose at week 20 in period 1. To align their end-of-period profile with those of the other patients, their week 16 data have been excluded from this plot. ULN for CRP was 10 mg/L, and for ESR, it was 30 mm/h. CRP, C-reactive protein; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; IL-6, interleukin 6; IQR, interquartile range; IV, intravenous; PK, pharmacokinetics; Q4W, every 4 weeks; SEM, standard error of the mean; sIL-6R, soluble interleukin 6 receptor; TCZ, tocilizumab; ULN, upper limit of normal