Dosage Considerations for Canakinumab in Children With Periodic Fever Syndromes

Periodic fever syndromes are a group of rare diseases with a highly variable onset, yet limited treatment options are available for children at an early age. Canakinumab has been approved to treat patients with cryopyrin‐associated periodic syndrome, a periodic fever syndrome, and systemic juvenile systemic arthritis, with age cutoffs of 4 years and 2 years, respectively. In 2016, the US Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) approved canakinumab, without an age restriction, for the treatment of three conditions of periodic fever syndromes, including familial Mediterranean fever, hyperimmunoglobulin D syndrome/mevalonate kinase deficiency, and tumor necrosis factor receptor‐associated periodic syndrome. This review discusses the pharmacokinetic ( PK ), efficacy, safety, and exposure‐response relationship of canakinumab and provides the rationale for dosage recommendation in children younger than 2 years of age with the three conditions of periodic fever syndromes. The approval of canakinumab for these pediatric patients addresses a critical unmet medical need.