scholarly journals Biologic and Glucocorticoid Use after Methotrexate Initiation in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 343-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D. George ◽  
Brian C. Sauer ◽  
Chia-Chen Teng ◽  
Grant W. Cannon ◽  
Bryant R. England ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Patient Outcomes ◽  
Biologic Therapy ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Biologic Therapies ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Therapy Initiation ◽  
Patients With Heart Failure ◽  
To Receive ◽  
Improve Disease Control

Objective.Biologic therapies can improve disease control for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) but may be both overused and underused. We aimed to identify predictors of greater use of biologic therapies and to identify factors associated with persistent glucocorticoid use.Methods.Using national US Veteran’s Affairs databases 2005–2016, we identified patients with RA receiving a first-ever prescription of methotrexate (MTX), requiring ≥ 6 months of baseline data. We evaluated predictors of biologic therapy initiation within 2 years of starting MTX and factors associated with baseline and persistent glucocorticoid use at 6–12 months using multivariable models.Results.Among 17,415 patients starting MTX, 3263 patients received biologic therapy within 2 years (20.6% 2-yr incidence). In adjusted analyses, biologic use was substantially lower in older patients [e.g., aHR 0.20 (95% CI 0.16, 0.26) for patients ≥ 80 vs < 50] and patients with more comorbidities [aHR 0.79 (95% CI 0.72, 0.87) for Charlson score ≥ 3 vs < 3]. Patients with heart failure [aHR 0.68 (95% CI 0.54, 0.84)], cancer [aHR 0.78 (95% CI 0.66, 0.92)], or who were nonwhite [aHR 0.79 (95% CI 0.72, 0.87)] were also less likely to receive a biologic. In contrast, baseline and persistent glucocorticoid use was similar across age groups and more common in patients with greater comorbidity.Conclusion.Biologic therapy is initiated less frequently in patients with RA who are older, have more comorbidities, and who are nonwhite. While biologics may be avoided in older and sicker patients because of safety concerns, glucocorticoid use is similar regardless of age and is more frequent in patients with comorbidities, with implications for patient outcomes.

scholarly journals O10 Combining clinical and ultrasound assessment to taper biologic therapies in patients with RA in routine clinical practice

Rheumatology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 59 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Harikrishnan Pillai ◽  
Nilesh Nolkha ◽  
Augustus Yau ◽  
Susan Matthews ◽  
Alison Hall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Clinical Remission ◽  
Biologic Therapy ◽  
Power Doppler ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Routine Clinical Practice ◽  
Biologic Therapies ◽  
Ultrasound Assessment ◽  
Baseline Frequency

Abstract Background There is growing evidence for tapering biologic therapies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in sustained clinical remission to avoid overtreatment and minimise side-effects. Ultrasound assessment for subclinical synovitis adds to clinical assessment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis suitable for tapering biologic therapies. Our primary objective was to combine clinical and ultrasound assessment to select patients with rheumatoid arthritis for tapering biologic therapies in routine clinical practice. The secondary objectives were to identify predictors for successful tapering and assess the cost savings to the local health economy by optimising the use of high cost drugs. Methods All patients with rheumatoid arthritis on a biologic therapy for 2 years and in sustained clinical remission (DAS28≤2.6) over the previous year were seen in the remission clinic. They had an Ultrasound scan of the small joints of the hands, wrists and other symptomatic joints. Patients with no activity on Power Doppler were advised to lengthen the interval of their biologic therapy gradually and were followed once every 3 months. Patients were not on oral steroids but continued conventional DMARDs. Patients had a dedicated helpline if they had a flare. Results Ninety-three of the 120 patients with rheumatoid arthritis on biologic therapy seen in the biologic remission clinic between January and October 2019 were eligible and all but one agreed to taper. They were 70% female with a mean age of 62.8 years and mean duration of disease 14.6 years. Their mean duration of biologic therapy was 6.3 years; mean baseline DAS28 was 6.3 pre-biologic therapy and 1.7 before tapering. Fifty-seven of the patients were on a TNF inhibitor and 35 were on other biologic therapies. Forty of the ninety-two patients were co-prescribed DMARDs. Screening failure was due to clinical activity in 13 patients, Ultrasound Power Doppler activity in 23 patients, interstitial lung disease in 2 patients and shoulder surgery in one. Only two of the 40 patients who had completed 6 months had a flare and reverted to the baseline frequency. Of the remaining 52 patients, 22 patients had completed 3 months at the tapered dose and 3 patients who were in the initial 3 months had a flare and reverted to the baseline frequency. Initial drug-cost savings at 6 months was approximately £45,000. Conclusion Tapering of biologic therapies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis is feasible in routine clinical practice. Ultrasound is helpful to stratify patients for biologic tapering and has enabled a higher proportion of patients to remain in remission after tapering. Disclosures H. Pillai: None. N. Nolkha: None. A. Yau: None. S. Matthews: None. A. Hall: None. G. Hirsch: None. S. Venkatachalam: None.

Improving patient outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis - focus on biologic therapies

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine E. Swales ◽  
Peter C. Taylor ◽  
Holly John ◽  
George D. Kitas
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Patient Outcomes ◽  
Biologic Therapies

scholarly journals Which Biologic Therapies to Treat Active Rheumatoid Arthritis and When?

2021 ◽  
pp. 86-95
Author(s):  
Anna Blundell ◽  
Nidhi Sofat
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Patient Outcomes ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Active Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Personalised Medicine ◽  
Biologic Therapies ◽  
Comparative Efficacy ◽  
Patient Groups ◽  
Disease Modifying

Biological disease-modifying anti-arthritis drugs (bDMARD) have transformed rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment and allowed many patients to reach clinical remission. With the huge growth in the development of different bDMARDs, there is now a need to decide on which treatment should be prescribed to achieve optimal patient outcomes. Decisions are made by weighing up the comparative efficacy of each agent against risks, namely the risk of bacterial infections. The most powerful tools for investigating the comparative efficacy of bDMARDs are head-to-head trials that directly compare one therapy to another; however, very few trials of this type exist. Furthermore, the heterogeneity of RA calls for consideration of the comparative efficacy of therapies on an individual basis. Many studies have found associations between specific biomarkers and response to different bDMARDs to enable stratification of patient groups, although many results have not been reproducible in different cohorts. Combining predictors to create models of treatment response may be the ultimate key to finding reliable biomarkers with enough predictive power to enable a personalised medicine approach to treating RA in the clinic.

scholarly journals Selected problems of biologic therapy in rheumatoid arthritis patients – inefficacy of several biologic therapies.

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 89-92
Author(s):  
Radosław Jeleniewicz ◽  
Maria Majdan ◽  
Bożena Targońska-Stępniak ◽  
Ewa Wielosz
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Biologic Therapy ◽  
Biologic Therapies

scholarly journals AB0322 LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE PAST THAT SHOULD IMPROVE THE FUTURE: 18 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WITH BIOLOGIC THERAPIES IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS IN A TERTIARY RHEUMATOLOGY CENTER IN ROMANIA

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 1459.2-1460
Author(s):  
T. Serban ◽  
I. Satulu ◽  
I. Badea ◽  
C. Mihai ◽  
D. Badea ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Biological Therapy ◽  
Biologic Therapy ◽  
Biological Evaluation ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Biologic Therapies ◽  
National Health Insurance System ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Baseline Characteristics ◽  
Anti Cd20

Background:Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease, which affects approximately 1% of the population. Although diagnostic, monitoring and treatment strategies have improved noticeably over the last decades, allowing an early and sustained clinical and radiological remission, both direct and indirect costs of treatment and disease still create an economic burden for patients and society. The last few years have brought many therapeutic options and knowledge about them, which has led to the 2019 updated EULAR recommendations for the management of RA (1).Objectives:This study aimed to evaluate the trends in prescribing of biologic therapies in RA over time, the factors that influenced them and the persistence of patients on these treatments.Methods:In this retrospective study we evaluated patients with RA treated with biologic therapies in the last 18 years, who presented for routine clinical and biological evaluation, performed according to the standard of care principles in RA.Results:244 patients were enrolled in this study. Baseline characteristics are presented in Table 1.Table 1.Baseline characteristics of the 244 patients evaluatedParametersRA patients (n=244)Gender (Female); n(%)202 (82,8%)Age (Mean±SD)61,09±11,86Age at RA onset (Mean±SD)46,16±13,12Disease duration (years); (Mean±SD)14,93 ±8,78Number of biologic therapies received; n(%)1 line244 (100%)2 lines152 (62,29%)3 lines31 (12,70%)4 lines2 (0,81%)5 lines1 (0,40%)There is a significant decrease in the persistence period on the first biological therapy after 2010 (60.67 ± 50.53 months before 2010 vs. 37.02 ± 34.92 months after 2010, p <0.001, 95% CI = - 34,464 - -12,838).There is a significant increase in the period from diagnosis to the initiation of biological therapy after 2012 (6.88 ± 6.75 years before 2012 vs. 9.25 ± 9.33 years after 2012, p <0.001, 95% CI = 0.341-4.406).Overall, regardless of the therapeutic line in which they were used, persistence on anti-CD20 (44,89±43,02 months (mean±SD)) therapies was significantly higher than that on TNFi (81,85±42,17 months (mean±SD)) (p<0,001, CI=27.806-46.129). (Image 1)Figure 1.Image 1. Persistence on TNFi and anti CD20 therapiesConclusion:The two trends observed in this study: the decrease in persistence on biologic therapy, in 2010, and the increase of the period between RA diagnosis and the initiation of a biologic therapy, in 2012, were generated by the appearance of new molecules, thus reducing the boundaries generated by the previously limited number of options, and by the major changes in national health insurance system regulations.Anti-CD20 therapy proved to be non-inferior to TNFi therapies regarding persistence on therapy and did not result in higher adverse events than TNFi, justifying the inclusion of RTX therapy as one of the biological therapies used in the first line in 2019 RA treatment recommendations.A limitation of this study is the small number of patients who received other therapies (JAKi, T cell co-stimulation blockers, anti IL6), which did not allow a correct analysis of other therapeutic lines compared to those previously mentioned.References:[1]Smolen JS, et al. Ann Rheum Dis 2020;0:1–15. doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2019-216655Disclosure of Interests:None declared

The Use of Biologic Therapies in the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 542-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dashan Wang ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
Yuan Liu ◽  
Guixiu Shi
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Biologic Therapies

scholarly journals POS1234 IMPACT OF THE CHANGE IN ADMINISTRATION ROUTE OF TOCILIZUMAB AND ABATACEPT, DUE TO THE COVID-19 LOCKDOWN ON DISEASE ACTIVITY IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 900.1-900
Author(s):  
L. Diebold ◽  
T. Wirth ◽  
V. Pradel ◽  
N. Balandraud ◽  
E. Fockens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Disease Activity ◽  
Univariate Analysis ◽  
Route Of Administration ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Administration Route ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
The Impact

Background:Among therapeutics used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Tocilizumab (TCZ) and Abatacept (ABA) are both biologic agents that can be delivered subcutaneously (SC) or intravenously (IV). During the first COVID-19 lockdown in France, all patients treated with IV TCZ or IV ABA were offered the option to switch to SC administration.Objectives:The primary aim was to assess the impact of changing the route of administration on the disease activity. The second aim was to assess whether the return to IV route at the patient’s request was associated with disease activity variation, flares, anxiety, depression and low physical activity during the lockdown.Methods:We conducted a prospective monocentric observational study. Eligibility criteria: Adult ≥ 18 years old, RA treated with IV TCZ or IV ABA with a stable dose ≥3 months, change in administration route (from IV to SC) between March 16, 2020, and April 17, 2020. The following data were collected at baseline and 6 months later (M6): demographics, RA characteristics, treatment, history of previous SC treatment, disease activity (DAS28), self-administered questionnaires on flares, RA life repercussions, physical activity, anxiety and depression (FLARE, RAID, Ricci &Gagnon, HAD).The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with a DAS28 variation>1.2 at M6. Analyses: Chi2-test for quantitative variables and Mann-Whitney test for qualitative variables. Factors associated with return to IV route identification was performed with univariate and multivariate analysis.Results:Among the 84 patients who were offered to switch their treatment route of administration, 13 refused to change their treatment. Among the 71 who switched (48 TCZ, 23 ABA), 58 had a M6 follow-up visit (13 lost of follow-up) and DAS28 was available for 49 patients at M6. Main baseline characteristics: female 81%, mean age 62.7, mean disease duration: 16.0, ACPA positive: 72.4%, mean DAS28: 2.01, previously treated with SC TCZ or ABA: 17%.At M6, the mean DAS28 variation was 0.18 ± 0.15. Ten (12.2%) patients had a DAS28 worsening>1.2 (ABA: 5/17 [29.4%] and TCZ: 5/32 [15.6%], p= 0.152) and 19 patients (32.8%) had a DAS28 worsening>0.6 (ABA: 11/17 [64.7%] and TCZ: 8/32 [25.0%], p= 0.007).At M6, 41 patients (77.4%) were back to IV route (26 TCZ, 15 ABA) at their request. The proportion of patients with a DAS28 worsening>1.2 and>0.6 in the groups return to IV versus SC maintenance were 22.5%, 42.5% versus 11.1% and 22.2% (p=0.4), respectively. The univariate analysis identified the following factors associated with the return to IV route: HAD depression score (12 vs 41, p=0.009), HAS anxiety score (12 vs 41, p=0.047) and corticosteroid use (70% vs 100%, p=0.021), in the SC maintenance vs return to IV, respectively.Conclusion:The change of administration route of TCZ and ABA during the first COVID-19 lockdown was infrequently associated with a worsening of RA disease. However, the great majority of the patients (77.4%) request to return to IV route, even without disease activity worsening. This nocebo effect was associated with higher anxiety and depression scores.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

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