Correspondence on 'Interleukin 6 receptor inhibition in primary Sjögren syndrome: a multicentre double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trial'.

We read with interest the article by Felten et al which assessed the efficacy of interleukin 6 receptor inhibition (tocilizumab) in Sjogren’s syndrome (SjS).1 SjS is a chronic rheumatic disease characterised by immune infiltrates into exocrine glands such as salivary and lacrimal glands, which can impair glandular function and result in profound dryness.2 Despite the substantially expanded knowledge on its pathogenesis, the management of SjS has not been improved substantially in recent decades, and there are still some unmet needs in both the diagnosis and management of SjS.3 4 Currently available therapies for SjS are limited, and most clinical trials of targeted therapies in SjS including another recent trial of cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4-Ig (abatacept) have reported disappointing findings.1 5 6 There are some possible explanations for those negative findings, and the inefficacy of those evaluated biological drugs is undoubtedly a major possible reason.3 6 Apart from the inefficacy of those drugs, the adopted clinical trial design such as the outcome measures has …