Biologic Utilization Varies Widely for RA Treatment

Recent research presented at AMCP Nexus 2016 found that biologic utilization prevalence for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) varied widely between Humira (adalimumab; Janssen), Cimzia (certolizumab; UCB Inc), Enbrel (etanercept; Immunex), and Simponi (golimumab; Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc).

 “Adherence to medication is crucial to the maximum therapeutic benefit of biologic treatment,” Joseph Tkacz, MS, director of analytics at Health Analytics, and colleagues said in the presentation. “The plethora of currently approved biologic agents makes comparison of the various medications more difficult, particularly when drug dosing and administration schedules vary.”

Therefore, Mr Tkacz and colleagues sought “to investigate real-world utilization and adherence patterns of subcutaneous biologic treatment in a population of patients with RA.”

The researchers conducted a retrospective claims study using the Truven Marketscan and Optum Clinformatics researcher databases between 2009 and 2013.  They studied 27,904 adult patients aged older than 18 years with a current diagnosis of RA who recieved Humira, Cimzia, Enbrel, or Simponi. Patients were followed until they completed their treatment, became ineligible, or the end of the study period. 

Study results showed that their differences in biologic utilization were consisted across both data sources. Trends showed that Humira and Enbrel were the most commonly used biologic for treatment of RA; however, Humira and Simponi had the highest refill consistency. Furthermore, results showed that Simponi was associated with the highest levels of medication adherence.

“These findings have implications for health care decision makers interested in quality improvement or optimization of adherence in patients treated with subcutaneous biologic therapies,” Mr Tkacz and colleagues concluded.

This study was conducted with support from Janssen. —David Costill