Abatacept for Treating Adults With Giant Cell Arteritis and Takayasu's Arteritis

Exclusion Criteria

• •Evidence of active infection (including chronic infection)
• •Pregnant or breastfeeding
• •HIV infected, hepatitis C infected, or a positive hepatitis B surface antigen
• •Inability to comply with study guidelines
• •Inability to provide informed consent
• •Cytopenia, as defined by a platelet count of less than 80,000/mm3, an absolute neutrophil count of less than 1,500/mm3, and hematocrit less than 20%
• •Insufficient kidney function, as defined by a serum creatinine of more than 3 mg/dL or creatinine clearance of 20 ml/min or less
• •Other uncontrolled disease that could prevent safe study completion
• •History of any malignant neoplasm except adequately treated basal or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin or solid tumors treated with curative therapy and disease-free for at least 5 years
• •Receipt of an investigational agent or device within 30 days prior to study entry
• •A live vaccination within 4 weeks prior to study entry
• •Presence of a positive tuberculin skin test with induration of at least 5mm
• •Radiographic evidence suggestive of tuberculosis
• •Poor tolerability of blood draws or lack of adequate access to veins for medication administration and blood draws
• •History of treatment with rituximab within 12 months prior to study entry or history of treatment with rituximab more than 12 months prior to study entry, where the B lymphocyte count has not returned to normal
• •History of treatment with infliximab within the past 49 days, adalimumab within the past 28 days, or etanercept within the past 21 days.
• •Presence of any of the following diseases or conditions:
• •1. Microscopic polyangiitis
• •2. Churg-Strauss syndrome
• •3. Polyarteritis nodosa
• •4. Cogan's syndrome
• •5. Behcet disease
• •6. Sarcoidosis
• •7. Kawasaki disease
• •8. Tuberculosis or atypical mycobacterial infection
• •9. Deep fungal infection
• •10. Lymphoma, lymphomatoid granulomatosis, or other type of malignancy that mimics vasculitis
• •11. Cryoglobulinemic vasculitis
• •12. Systemic lupus erythematosus
• •13. Rheumatoid arthritis
• •14. Mixed connective tissue disease or any overlap autoimmune syndrome