Biologics: Targets & Therapy (Nov 2024)
Effectiveness and Persistence of Anti-TNFα Treatment in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis – A 7 Years Real-World Cohort Study
Abstract
Pedro Santos-Moreno,1 Gabriel-Santiago Rodríguez-Vargas,2 Pedro Rodríguez-Linares,2 Linda Ibatá,3 Susan Martínez,3 Fernando Rodríguez-Florido,2 Adriana Rojas-Villarraga1,4 1Rheumatology Department, Biomab IPS, Bogotá, Colombia; 2Research department, Biomab IPS, Bogotá, Colombia; 3EpiThink Health Consulting, Bogotá, Colombia; 4Research Institute, Fundación Universitaria de Ciencias de La Salud – FUCS, Bogotá, ColombiaCorrespondence: Pedro Santos-Moreno, Rheumatology, Biomab IPS, 48th Street #13-86, Bogotá, 110221, Colombia, Tel +57 320 8094232, Email [email protected]: To describe the effectiveness and persistence of treatment with three anti-TNFα drugs, Infliximab, Etanercept, and Adalimumab, in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) in a rheumatology center.Patients and Methods: A longitudinal, retrospective cohort study was conducted. Data were obtained from the health records of patients with RA who were followed up in a rheumatology center between 2011 and 2019 under a multidisciplinary healthcare model (MCM). The drugs used in this study were indicated according to the treatment guidelines for prescription. In order to follow-up of disease activity, at least three DAS28 reports for every analyzed year were used. The chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test were used for statistical analyses of categorical variables. For the analysis of treatment persistence, the Kaplan–Meier method was used based on the recorded follow-up time of disease activity.Results: One hundred and eighty-three RA patients included (80% women, median age 60 years), who received adalimumab (n = 56) (30.6%), etanercept (n = 64) (34.9%), or infliximab (n = 63) (34.4%) during the 7-year study period. A higher proportion of patients had moderate or high disease activity for all three anti-TNFα. In first-year treatment, 67% to 87% of the cohort achieved disease activity control and disease response to treatment. For the first three years, 95% to 98% of patients continued with the medications. In years 5th and 7th, the proportion of patients on medication was 80% to 90% and 42% to 54%, respectively.Conclusion: The efficacy and persistence of anti-TNF-α were similar among the three molecules. These findings regarding long-term persistence in treatment may be useful for therapeutic decision-making based on real-life cohort results.Keywords: rheumatoid arthritis, medication persistence, treatment effectiveness, tumor necrosis factor inhibitors
