Adherence and persistence to urate-lowering therapies in the Irish setting

Association between the initial dose urate-lowering drugs and gout flares in adult males with gout

OBJECTIVES

Frequent gout attacks in the initial introduction of urate-lowering therapy (ULT) are significant causes of poor drug adherence and ULT discontinuation. Initial low-dose urate-lowering drugs may be effective in reducing gout flares, however robust evidence is sparse. The aim of this study was therefore to assess the association of initial dose urate-lowering drugs with gout flares in adult males with gout during the initial introduction of ULT.

METHODS

This cohort study obtained data on consecutive gout patients from a single-centre gout cohort study from August 2017 to October 2020. A standard questionnaire was applied to collect demographic and clinical information, and biochemical parameters were tested on the same day. The primary endpoint was to estimate the association of initial dose febuxostat with gout flares, using Cox hazard models with inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW).

RESULTS

A total of 582 gout patients were included in this study. During the 6-week follow-up, 71 (12.2%) patients suffered gout flares. In the main analysis using Cox hazard models with IPTW, compared with colchicine prophylaxis, initial low-dose febuxostat alone had no statistical significance with the increased risk of gout flares [hazard ratio (HR) 1.26; 95% CI 0.58, 2.72], while initial high-dose febuxostat was associated with an increased risk of gout flares (HR 3.08; 95% CI 1.34, 7.07).

CONCLUSIONS

This observational study demonstrated that initial low-dose febuxostat was equally effective in preventing gout flares as colchicine prophylaxis, while initial high-dose febuxostat alone was associated with an increased risk of gout flares.

Exploring patient medication adherence and data mining methods in clinical big data: A contemporary review

BACKGROUND

Increasingly, patient medication adherence data are being consolidated from claims databases and electronic health records (EHRs). Such databases offer an indirect avenue to gauge medication adherence in our data-rich healthcare milieu. The surge in data accessibility, coupled with the pressing need for its conversion to actionable insights, has spotlighted data mining, with machine learning (ML) emerging as a pivotal technique. Nonadherence poses heightened health risks and escalates medical costs. This paper elucidates the synergistic interaction between medical database mining for medication adherence and the role of ML in fostering knowledge discovery.

METHODS

We conducted a comprehensive review of EHR applications in the realm of medication adherence, leveraging ML techniques. We expounded on the evolution and structure of medical databases pertinent to medication adherence and harnessed both supervised and unsupervised ML paradigms to delve into adherence and its ramifications.

RESULTS

Our study underscores the applications of medical databases and ML, encompassing both supervised and unsupervised learning, for medication adherence in clinical big data. Databases like SEER and NHANES, often underutilized due to their intricacies, have gained prominence. Employing ML to excavate patient medication logs from these databases facilitates adherence analysis. Such findings are pivotal for clinical decision-making, risk stratification, and scholarly pursuits, aiming to elevate healthcare quality.

CONCLUSION

Advanced data mining in the era of big data has revolutionized medication adherence research, thereby enhancing patient care. Emphasizing bespoke interventions and research could herald transformative shifts in therapeutic modalities.

Analysis of appropriate duration of colchicine prophylaxis to maximize the persistence of xanthine oxidase inhibitors as the first-line urate-lowering therapy in patients with gout using the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database

INTRODUCTION

We investigated the appropriate duration of colchicine prophylaxis to maximize the persistence of xanthine oxidase inhibitors (XOIs) as first-line urate-lowering therapy (ULT) in patients with gout. This was a nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study using the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment database.

METHODS

Patients with gout aged ≥20 years who were newly initiated on XOIs, such as allopurinol or febuxostat, from July 2015 to June 2017 and received these medications for ≥6 months were analyzed and followed up until June 2019. Persistence of XOIs was compared according to the 6-month duration of colchicine prophylaxis. For additional subgroup analysis, we also compared the persistence of XOIs according to the 3-month duration of colchicine prophylaxis.

RESULTS

This study included 43 926 patients. The frequencies of patients with gout receiving colchicine prophylaxis for ≥6 months and ≥3 months were 6.3% and 7.6%, respectively. Allopurinol (65.2%) was prescribed more frequently than febuxostat (34.8%). During the study period, 23 475 patients (53.4%) stopped using XOIs. Colchicine prophylaxis for ≥6 months did not significantly reduce the risk of XOI discontinuation in multivariable Cox regression models. Colchicine prophylaxis for ≥3 months was significantly associated with a lower risk of non-persistence to XOIs after adjusting for confounding factors (hazard ratio = 0.95, p = .041).

CONCLUSION

Our data suggest that at least 3 months of colchicine prophylaxis may be more appropriate than at least 6 months in terms of maximizing the persistence of XOIs in patients with gout.

The Singapore Experience With Uncontrolled Gout: Unmet Needs in the Management of Patients

Gout is the most common type of inflammatory arthritis, and its impact on cardiovascular health and quality of life is often underestimated. The prevalence and incidence of gout are increasing globally. Further, ischemic heart disease (IHD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are prevalent in gout patients. Some unmet needs for gout management include physicians' low initiation rate of urate-lowering therapy (ULT) and poor treatment adherence in patients with gout. There is also a lack of randomized controlled trials that establish safe doses of acute and long-term treatment for gout, particularly in patients with IHD and stage 4 CKD and above (including end-stage renal failure). Furthermore, there is also a lack of studies showing optimal serum uric acid (SUA) target and validated clinical outcome measures, including disease activity and remission criteria for gout tailored to treat-to-target approaches and the high cost of newer gout medications. The causal relationship between asymptomatic hyperuricemia or gout with comorbidities such as IHD and CKD has yet to be fully elucidated. There is a pressing need for collaborative international efforts to address the overall suboptimal management of gout.

Establishment and Validation of Predictive Model of Tophus in Gout Patients

(1) Background: A tophus is a clinical manifestation of advanced gout, and in some patients could lead to joint deformities, fractures, and even serious complications in unusual sites. Therefore, to explore the factors related to the occurrence of tophi and establish a prediction model is clinically significant. (2) Objective: to study the occurrence of tophi in patients with gout and to construct a predictive model to evaluate its predictive efficacy. (3) Methods: The clinical data of 702 gout patients were analyzed by using cross-sectional data of North Sichuan Medical College. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze predictors. Multiple machine learning (ML) classification models are integrated to analyze and identify the optimal model, and Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) interpretation was developed for personalized risk assessment. (4) Results: Compliance of urate-lowering therapy (ULT), Body Mass Index (BMI), course of disease, annual attack frequency, polyjoint involvement, history of drinking, family history of gout, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were the predictors of the occurrence of tophi. Logistic classification model was the optimal model, test set area under curve (AUC) (95% confidence interval, CI): 0.888 (0.839-0.937), accuracy: 0.763, sensitivity: 0.852, and specificity: 0.803. (5) Conclusions: We constructed a logistic regression model and explained it with the SHAP method, providing evidence for preventing tophus and guidance for individual treatment of different patients.

Palpable tophi and more comorbidities associated with adherence to urate-lowering medical therapy in a Chinese gout cohort

OBJECTIVE

Urate-lowering therapy (ULT) nonadherence is common and problematic in gout. Since, sociocultural factors affect adherence, we analyzed a Chinese cohort.

METHODS

We studied 903 Chinese gout patients aged 46.4±14.7 years (mean±SD), uniquely extending to assay of 2-year medication possession ratio (MPR) ≥80% defined as high adherence. Multivariable logistic regression analyses evaluated factors linked with adherence and ULT target attainment.

RESULTS

Characterization of ULT outcomes in this cohort revealed that after 2 years ULT, MPR ≥80% patients had better target serum urate (SU) achievement (from 23.3% to 71.0%, P <0.001), lower flare frequency and palpable tophi compared to MPR <80%. However, only 44.7% of cohort subjects had MPR ≥80%. Male sex (OR 3.68), gout onset age >60 years (OR 3.51), disease duration >5 years (OR 1.70), more comorbidities (OR 1.74), baseline palpable tophi (OR 1.53), SU <6mg/dL (360μmol/L) (OR 1.92) and more frequent follow-up visits (OR 1.98) were significantly associated with high adherence. Nevertheless, significant independent risk factors for failed SU target achievement included male sex (OR 0.36) and more comorbidities (OR 0.85).

CONCLUSION

Despite adherence to ULT linked to better outcomes for flares and tophi, the more adherent Chinese male patients and those with more comorbidities had decreased target SU attainment. Differences in adherence of Chinese gout patients compared to several primarily Western studies emphasize the importance of not stereotyping gout patients for projected nonadherence. Results underline the dual importance of identifying gout patients more likely to be ULT-adherent and leveraging adherence to drive treatment to SU target.

Allopurinol adherence, persistence and patterns of use in individuals with diabetes and gout: A retrospective, population-based cohort analysis

OBJECTIVE

There has been growing interest in the potential role for allopurinol to reduce cardiovascular events in people with diabetes. While adherence to allopurinol is poor in those with gout, our aim was to characterize persistence, patterns of use, and predictors of allopurinol use in a population-based cohort of individuals with diabetes and gout.

METHODS

Individuals with diabetes older than 66 (thus eligible for prescription medication coverage) and newly prescribed allopurinol were followed for up to three years in a retrospective cohort study. Allopurinol use patterns were categorized as adherer (used continuously throughout follow-up), interrupter (non-persistent but subsequently resumed), or discontinuer (non-persistent with no subsequent resumption). Main outcomes were allopurinol non-persistence (no subsequent prescription accounting for a grace period), and indicators of gout severity throughout follow-up (prescriptions for prednisone or colchicine, outpatient gout visits, hospitalization/emergency department visits for gout). Outcome frequencies were determined, a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model evaluated associations between predictors and non-persistence, and zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) models evaluated associations between allopurinol use pattern and indicators of gout severity.

RESULTS

22,056 individuals were followed for a maximum of 3.0 years (17,410 with 3 years of follow-up). 9092 (41.2%) were non-persistent with allopurinol. Higher risks of non-persistence were associated with female sex (HR, 95% CI: 1.28, 1.23-1.33), dementia (1.23, 1.11-1.35), and an outpatient visit for gout in the prior year (1.19, 1.09-1.29). There were 12,964 (58.8%) allopurinol adherers, 4618 interrupters (20.9%), and 4474 (20.3%) discontinuers. Allopurinol interrupters and discontinuers had indicators of more severe gout over time compared to adherers, including greater odds of being prescribed prednisone.

CONCLUSION

Allopurinol non-persistence and interruptions were frequent in individuals with diabetes and gout and were associated with prescriptions for prednisone. Suboptimal allopurinol adherence may not only increase the risk of gout complications in this population but also potentially diabetes complications through greater prednisone use and its negative effects on glycemic control.

Adherence to gout guidelines: where do we stand?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Although gout is a common, well-recognized, and extensively researched rheumatologic disease, it continues to be underappreciated and undertreated. Although the prevalence of gout has been rising over the past several decades, adherence to urate lowering therapy continues to be suboptimal. Recent studies have underscored the potential success of guideline-directed therapy.

RECENT FINDINGS

Adherence to gout treatment continues to be suboptimal according to multinational metaanalyses. Moreover, studies measuring adherence are prone to overestimation and each methodologic approach has intrinsic limitations. Adherence may be analyzed from the perspective of patient adherence to taking a medication, or provider adherence to treatment guidelines. In addition to considering traditional risk factors, adherence should be viewed through the lens of healthcare disparities. The RAmP-Up trial and Nottingham Gout Treatment trial demonstrate the success of protocolized gout treatment using existing guidelines for reference.

SUMMARY

Standardized gout treatment protocols should be established for all primary care and specialty practices. Two successful methods of improving adherence include using nonphysician providers to coordinate urate lowering therapy titration and monitoring serum urate. Having more frequent outpatient visits to focus on direct patient care and education has also been successful.

Global epidemiology of gout: prevalence, incidence, treatment patterns and risk factors

Gout is the most common inflammatory arthritis and occurs when hyperuricaemia, sustained elevation of serum urate levels resulting in supersaturation of body tissues with urate, leads to the formation and deposition of monosodium urate crystals in and around the joints. Recent reports of the prevalence and incidence of gout vary widely according to the population studied and methods employed but range from a prevalence of <1% to 6.8% and an incidence of 0.58-2.89 per 1,000 person-years. Gout is more prevalent in men than in women, with increasing age, and in some ethnic groups. Despite rising prevalence and incidence, suboptimal management of gout continues in many countries. Typically, only a third to half of patients with gout receive urate-lowering therapy, which is a definitive, curative treatment, and fewer than a half of patients adhere to treatment. Many gout risk factors exist, including obesity, dietary factors and comorbid conditions. As well as a firmly established increased risk of cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease in those with gout, novel associations of gout with other comorbidities have been reported, including erectile dysfunction, atrial fibrillation, obstructive sleep apnoea, osteoporosis and venous thromboembolism. Discrete patterns of comorbidity clustering in individuals with gout have been described. Increasing prevalence and incidence of obesity and comorbidities are likely to contribute substantially to the rising burden of gout.

Comparison of persistence rates between allopurinol and febuxostat as first-line urate-lowering therapy in patients with gout: an 8-year retrospective cohort study

INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVES

Lifelong urate-lowering therapy (ULT) with xanthine oxidase inhibitors (XOIs), such as allopurinol and febuxostat, is the cornerstone of gout treatment. This study aimed to compare drug persistence between allopurinol and febuxostat as first-line ULT in patients with gout in real practice.

METHOD

In this retrospective cohort study, we evaluated 602 patients with gout in whom allopurinol or febuxostat was newly initiated from December 2011 to November 2018 at a tertiary rheumatology centre. Persistence was defined as the duration from the first description date to the end of treatment with XOIs or the end of the study period (November 2019).

RESULTS

Among the 602 gout patients, the mean age was 60.2 years and 234 (38.9%) patients had tophi. Allopurinol and febuxostat were started in 237 (39.3%) and 365 (60.6%) patients, respectively. During the study period, 282 (46.8%) patients stopped taking XOIs, and the most common reason for XOI withdrawal was poor health literacy (61.3%). The 1- and 5-year persistence rates of XOIs were 67.2% and 40.9%, respectively. In the Kaplan-Meier analysis, persistence rates of allopurinol were significantly lower than those of febuxostat (p < 0.001). In the multivariable Cox regression model, allopurinol use was a significant risk factor for discontinuation of XOIs (HR = 2.01, p < 0.001). In addition, the presence of tophi and symptom duration < 24 months was independently associated with a higher risk of XOI withdrawal.

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term persistence of XOIs was suboptimal, and allopurinol had worse persistence rates than febuxostat among patients with gout. Key Points • Long-term persistence of xanthine oxidase inhibitors (XOIs) as first-line urate-lowering therapy (ULT) among patients with gout was suboptimal, and the major reason for XOI discontinuation was poor health literacy in our study. • We demonstrated that allopurinol had worse persistence rates than febuxostat among patients with gout, suggesting that febuxostat is a better option for long-term ULT in light of medication adherence in a real-world setting. • Patients with gout with tophi and shorter symptom duration were found to be at high risk for poor persistence of XOIs.

What factors contribute to uncontrolled gout and hospital admission? A qualitative study of inpatients and their primary care practitioners

OBJECTIVE

To provide deeper insight into why patients are admitted to hospital with gout and discover potential targets for better disease control.

DESIGN

Data from semi-structured interviews were analysed using a thematic analysis approach.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Eleven inpatients from a tertiary institution in the Australian Capital Territory of Australia and their respective general practitioners (GPs) were invited to participate in the semi-structured interviews.

RESULTS

Despite significant pain and disability that accompanied acute flares, patients continue to experience shame in seeking treatment and regarded gout as being not particularly important. Other barriers included patients' poor continuity of care with and lack of confidence in GPs, suboptimal management in outpatient and inpatient settings, poor understanding of disease and treatment, and misconceptions held by both patients and physicians leading to uncontrolled disease activity.

CONCLUSIONS

Barriers to optimal gout management including patient and health practitioner factors have produced a complex effect which has led to a cycle of treatment avoidance behaviours and recurrent hospitalisations for severe acute gout flares. These barriers could be addressed using a multipronged approach guided by the chronic care model which has been applied in a variety of other chronic diseases with improved patient and professional-level outcomes. Managing gout according to best practice for chronic disease is more likely to prevent recurrent hospitalisations and improve health outcomes in patients with gout.

Persistence and adherence to androgen deprivation therapy in men with prostate cancer: an administrative database study

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to assess adherence to and persistence with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in a large cohort of prostate cancer (PCa) patients selected from an administrative database, with special attention to elderly patients.

METHODS

Patients treated with LHRH analogues, LHRH antagonists, the novel androgen antagonist enzalutamide, and the CYP17 inhibitor abiraterone were included spanning the years 2011-2017. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze persistence and adherence in older patients stratified by age (46-55, 56-65, 66-75, 76-85, and >85 years). The effect of persistence duration on overall survival in super-elderly patients was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method, together with the influence of multiple prescriptions on overall survival.

RESULTS

A total of 1160 male patients were treated with ADT. Of these, 1075 were given LHRH analogues, 80 LHRH antagonists, 14 novel androgen antagonists, and 109 the CYP17 inhibitor. Median adherence values were 0.93, 0.97, 0.95, and 0.99 respectively. The highest persistence was recorded for LHRH analogues/antagonists (24 months), followed enzalutamide and abiraterone (8 months). A total of 107 patients (9.2%) were classified as super-elderly (age range 85-97 years). Median persistence and OS in this group were 13 months and 29 months, respectively. The adherence was 0.92. Overall survival was significantly associated with additional prescriptions for other conditions-indications (P=0.0047) but not with differences in adherence rates (P=0.98).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data showed high adherence and persistence rates in men on ADT. The overall survival in the super-elderly is not influenced by persistence and/or adherence but rather by coprescriptions.

Predictors of poor response to urate-lowering therapy in patients with gout and hyperuricemia: a post-hoc analysis of a multicenter randomized trial

INTRODUCTION

Clinical guidelines have recommended a target of serum uric acid (SUA) level below 6.0 mg/dL for the urate-lowering therapy (ULT) of gout patients, but there are still a high proportion of patients failing to achieve the therapeutic target above. This study aimed to identify possible predictors of poor response to ULT in gout patients.

METHODS

We performed a post-hoc analysis of a multicenter randomized double-blind trial which assessed the efficacy of febuxostat in patients with hyperuricemia (serum urate level ≥ 8.0 mg/dL) and gout. Demographic characters and baseline data including SUA levels were collected. Poor response to ULT was defined as average SUA after ULT was more than 6.0 mg/dL. Factors associated with poor response to ULT in gout patients were analyzed, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was also carried out to find out those independent predictors.

RESULTS

A total of 370 patients were enrolled in this post-hoc analysis. Compared with those with good response to ULT, patients with poor response to ULT had younger age (P < 0.001), higher proportion of obesity (P = 0.003), higher proportion of statins use (P = 0.019), higher body mass index (BMI) (P < 0.001), higher baseline SUA (P < 0.001), higher proportion of males (P = 0.001), higher alanine transaminase (P < 0.001), higher aspartate transaminase (P = 0.017), higher total cholesterol (P = 0.005), higher triglyceride (P = 0.042), and higher low density lipoprotein (P = 0.037). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that younger age (odds ratio (OR) = 0.965, 95% CI 0.943-0.987, P = 0.002), higher BMI (OR = 1.133, 95% CI 1.049-1.224, P = 0.001), higher baseline SUA (OR = 1.006, 95% CI 1.002-1.009, P = 0.001), and no application of febuxostat therapy (OR = 0.41, 95% CI 0.25-0.68, P < 0.001) were independent predictors of poor response to ULT in patients with gout.

CONCLUSION

In patients with gout and hyperuricemia, younger age, higher BMI, and higher baseline SUA are predictors of poor response to ULT. These findings could help physicians better identify patients who may fail in ULT and give individualized treatment precisely.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The trial was registered at chinadrugtrials.org.cn in 2012 (CTR20130172).Key Points• A post-hoc analysis of a multicenter randomized double-blind trial which assessed the efficacy of febuxostat in patients with hyperuricemia and gout was performed.• Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that younger age, higher BMI, and higher baseline SUA are predictors of poor response to urate-lowering therapy.

Hyperuricemia and its related histopathological features on renal biopsy

Background

Hyperuricemia (HUA) is very common in chronic kidney disease (CKD). HUA is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events and accelerates the progression of CKD. Our study aimed to explore the relationship between baseline serum uric acid levels and renal histopathological features.

Methods

One thousand seventy patients receiving renal biopsy in our center were involved in our study. The baseline characteristics at the time of the kidney biopsy were collected from Renal Treatment System (RTS) database, including age, gender, serum uric acid (UA), glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), serum creatinine (Cr), urea, albumin (Alb), 24 h urine protein quantitation (24 h-u-pro) and blood pressure (BP). Pathological morphological changes were evaluated by two pathologists independently. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 21.0.

Results

Among 1070 patients, 429 had IgA nephropathy (IgAN), 641 had non-IgAN. The incidence of HUA was 38.8% (n = 415), 43.8% (n = 188), and 43.2% (n = 277) in all patients, patients with IgAN and non-IgAN patients, respectively. Serum uric acid was correlated with eGFR (r = − 0.418, p < 0.001), Cr (r = 0.391, p < 0.001), urea (r = 0.410, p < 0.001), 24-u-pro (r = 0.077, p = 0.022), systolic blood pressure (SBP) (r = 0.175, p < 0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (r = 0.109, p = 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that after adjustment for Cr, age and blood pressure, HUA was a risk factor for segmental glomerulosclerosis (OR = 1.800, 95% CI:1.309–2.477) and tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis (OR = 1.802, 95% CI:1.005–3.232). HUA increased the area under curve (AUC) in diagnosis of segmental glomerulosclerosis.

Conclusions

Hyperuricemia is prevalent in CKD. The serum uric acid level correlates not only with clinical renal injury indexes, but also with renal pathology. Hyperuricemia is an independent risk factor for segmental glomerulosclerosis and tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis.

Clinical and MRI response to dose reduction of an etanercept-biosimilar for hip arthritis in patients with ankylosing spondylitis: an observational, retrospective cohort study

OBJECTIVES

Hip arthritis plays a critical role in the prognosis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Dose reduction of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors preserves general improvement of AS, so this study attempted to examine the equivalence between Yisaipu® tapering and conventional therapy for hip arthritis in AS patients, using clinical parameters and magnetic resonance image (MRI).

METHODS

AS patients received this etanercept-biosimilar injections (50 mg/week) in the first 12 weeks. Participants in the tapering group were treated with this reagent 50 mg every other week from week 13 to week 24, while the control group kept undergoing full-dose therapy. Clinical and laboratory parameters were assessed at baseline, week 12 and week 24. MRI examination of hip was performed at baseline and week 24.

RESULTS

One hundred and thirty-six patients were enrolled, and 80 of them were in the tapering group. Linear mixed model revealed that main effects of tapering group with control group as reference in disease activity parameters were insignificant (p > 0.05). Main effects of baseline with week 24 as reference were significant (p < 0.05), but main effects of week 12 with week 24 as reference were not (p > 0.05). Prevalence of acute inflammatory change in MRI significantly decreased in the tapering group (76.88% vs 20.00%, p < 0.05) and control group (76.79% vs 19.64%, p < 0.05). Influence of both treatments on acute inflammatory change was equivalent (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Efficacy of Yisaipu® tapering treatment is comparable to the full-dose therapy for hip arthritis in AS patients. Both treatments maintain remission of hip arthritis after patients achieved low disease activity.

A retrospective analysis of medication prescription records for determining the levels of compliance and persistence to urate-lowering therapy for the treatment of gout and hyperuricemia in The Netherlands

Urate-lowering therapy (ULT) is a recommended life-long treatment for gout patients. However, despite these recommendations, recurrent gout attacks are commonly observed in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to assess the levels of compliance and persistence to ULT in The Netherlands, in order to reflect on the current gout care delivered by health professionals. Anonymous prescription records were obtained from IQVIA's Dutch retrospective longitudinal prescription database, containing ULT dispensing data for allopurinol, febuxostat, and benzbromarone from November 2013 to July 2017. Compliance to ULT was determined by calculating the proportion of days covered (PDC) over 12 months. Persistence over 12 months was evaluated by determining the time to discontinuation, without surpassing a refill gap of > 30 days. Association of PDC and persistence with age, gender, and first prescriber were examined using beta regression- and cox-regression models, respectively. There were 45,654 patients who met the inclusion criteria. Overall, 51.7% of the patients had a ULT coverage of ≥ 80% of the days in 1 year (PDC ≥ 0.80), and 42.7% of the patients were still persistent after 1 year. Men, older patients, and patients whose first prescriber was a rheumatologist were more persistent and had a higher PDC. Our results show that medication adherence to ULT after 1 year is suboptimal, considering that current guidelines recommend ULT as a life-long treatment. Future studies addressing the reasons for treatment cessation and improving treatment adherence seem warranted.

Long-term adherence and persistence with febuxostat among male patients with gout in a routine clinical setting

Objectives: To assess long-term adherence and persistence to febuxostat (FBX) and factors that might contribute to non-adherence and non-persistence to FBX in male patients with gout during a 3-year period. Methods: Adherence to FBX was assessed by the clinic nurses through pill counts at the scheduled visits and non-adherence was defined as less than 80% of the prescribed dose taken. Non-persistence was defined as discontinuation of FBX longer than 60 days. Results: A total of 220 patients were recruited. The percentage of adherence and persistence was 71.8% and 80.9% at 1 year, 65.5% and 68.2% at 2 years and 58.2% and 56.4% at 3 years, respectively. The logistic regression analysis identified high income status, current smoking, absence of hypertension and previous history of non-persistence with urate-lowering therapy (ULT) as the independent factors associated with non-adherence, and the unmarried, absence of hypertension and previous history of non-persistence with ULT as the independent factors associated with non-persistence. Conclusion: Variable risk factors that are correlated with poor adherence or persistence and easily assessed can be used to identify patients at a particular risk of poor adherence or persistence.

Exploring current and potential roles of Australian community pharmacists in gout management: a qualitative study

Background

Gout is an increasingly prevalent form of inflammatory arthritis. Although effective treatments for gout exist, current management is suboptimal due to low medication adherence rates and treatments that are non-concordant with guidelines. Medications are the mainstay and most effective form of gout management. Thus, there is potential for community pharmacists to play an important primary health care role in gout management, however their current role and their potential to improve management of gout treatment is currently unclear. The purpose of the study is to explore the views of Australian pharmacists on their roles in gout management and to identify factors influencing their involvement in gout management.

Methods

A convenience sample of community pharmacists were invited to participate using a snowballing recruitment strategy. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 15 pharmacists of varying age, gender and pharmacy experience. Interviews focused on pharmacists’ experiences of managing gout, interactions with people living with gout and their perceived roles and responsibilities in gout management. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and independently analysed by two reviewers to identify themes.

Results

The main role of pharmacists reported in gout management was providing patient education. The greatest facilitator to pharmacists involvement in gout management was identified to be pharmacists’ good understanding of gout and its management. Barriers to pharmacists involvement were identified to be difficulties in monitoring adherence to gout medications, low priority given to gout in the pharmacy compared to other chronic health conditions, and lack of specific training and/or continuing education in gout prevention and management.

Conclusions

Pharmacists can expand their primary health care role in gout management, particularly in the area of ongoing provision of education to people living with gout and in monitoring medication adherence in patients. However, a number of barriers need to be overcome including difficulties in monitoring patient adherence to medications, ensuring a higher priority is given to chronic gout management and providing continuing training to community pharmacists about gout. Implications for pharmacist practice include initiating conversations about medication adherence and education when dispensing medications and undertaking continuing education in gout.

Improving adherence to gout therapy: an expert review

Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis and is a considerable burden to patients and health care systems worldwide. Despite its clinical, economic, and social impact, patient persistence and adherence to prescribed urate-lowering therapies (ULT), ranging from 20% to 70%, is considered to be among the poorest of all chronic conditions. The majority of gout patients consequently receive suboptimal benefits of their prescribed pharmacotherapies. As gout is associated with several comorbidities along with an increased risk of premature mortality, achieving improved outcomes through adherence to ULT is crucial. Adherence to medication is complex and multidimensional and includes a combination of treatment-, patient-, and physician-related factors. This review explores the factors related to ULT adherence with the overall aim of helping health care providers better understand the barriers to adherence. Several interventions targeting pharmacists, nurses, and patients are being investigated to improve adherence. Furthermore, enhanced awareness and understanding of the need to treat-to-target in order to improve patient outcomes is needed among health care professionals. Greater understanding of the multidimensional nature of non-adherence can help physicians to treat gout more effectively and empower patients to improve self-management of this long-term disease.

Rate of adherence to urate-lowering therapy among patients with gout: a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

Reported adherence to urate-lowering therapy (ULT) in gout varies widely (17%-83.5%). Variability may partly be due to different adherence measurement methods. This review aimed to quantify ULT adherence in adult patients with gout.

METHODS

This analysis examined studies in PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI Scholar and WanFang databases from inception to January 2017. Papers were selected by inclusion and exclusion criteria in the context. Random-effect meta-analysis estimated adherence.

RESULTS

22 studies were found by the inclusion criteria, which involved 1 37 699 patients with gout. Four ways to define adherence were reported. Meta-analysis revealed that the overall adherence rate was 47% (95% CI 42% to 52%, I²=99.7%). Adherence rate to ULT was 42% (95% CI 37% to 47%, I²=99.8%) for prescription claims, 71% (95% CI 63% to 79%) for pill count, 66% (95% CI 50% to 81%, I²=86.3%) for self-report and 63% (95% CI 42% to 83%, I²=82.9%) for interview, respectively. The influential factor on adherence rate was country of origin.

CONCLUSIONS

Among adult patients with gout, overall adherence rate to ULT was as low as 47%, which suggested that clinicians should pay more attention to medication adherence in patients with gout to effectively improve adherence to ULT.

Stepwise dose increase of febuxostat is comparable with colchicine prophylaxis for the prevention of gout flares during the initial phase of urate-lowering therapy: results from FORTUNE-1, a prospective, multicentre randomised study

Objectives

To determine whether febuxostat with stepwise dose increase is as useful as colchicine prophylaxis in reducing gout flares during the initial introduction of urate-lowering therapy in patients with gout in comparison with febuxostat with no dose titration.

Methods

In this prospective, multicentre, randomised open-label comparative study, patients were randomised to group A (stepwise dose increase of febuxostat from 10 to 40 mg/day), group B (fixed-dose febuxostat 40 mg/day plus colchicine 0.5 mg/day) or group C (fixed-dose febuxostat 40 mg/day) and observed for 12 weeks. Gout flare was defined as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use for gout symptoms.

Results

A total of 255 patients were randomised, and 241 patients were treated. Among the treated patients, gout flares were experienced by 20/96 (20.8%) in group A, 18/95 (18.9%) in group B and 18/50 (36.0%) in group C. The incidence of flare was significantly lower in groups A and B than that in group C (P=0.047 and P=0.024, respectively), although the differences were not significant after correction for multiple comparisons. No significant difference was noted between the incidence of gout flare in groups A and B.

Conclusions

Our data suggested that stepwise dose increase of febuxostat and low-dose colchicine prophylaxis effectively reduced gout flares in comparison with fixed-dose febuxostat alone. Stepwise dose increase of febuxostat may be an effective alternative to low-dose colchicine prophylaxis during the introduction of urate-lowering therapy.

Trial registration number

UMIN 000008414.

Predictors of reaching a serum uric acid goal in patients with gout and treated with febuxostat

Purpose

Clinical guidelines recommend febuxostat as first-line pharmacologic urate-lowering therapy for patients with gout to achieve a goal serum uric acid (sUA) <6 mg/dL; however, little is known about other contributing factors. This study identified clinical characteristics of patients treated with febuxostat to develop and validate a predictive model for achieving a goal sUA.

Patients and methods

Patients with Humana Medicare or commercial insurance, diagnosed with gout and newly initiated on febuxostat (index date February 1, 2009 – December 31, 2013), were identified for a retrospective cohort study. Patients were followed for 365 days and the first valid sUA test result ≥120 days after index was retained. A stepwise logistic regression with backward elimination was estimated to model sUA goal attainment, and a linear model was estimated to model the impact of predictor variables on sUA level.

Results

The study sample (n=678) was divided into a development (training) dataset (n=453) and a validation (holdout) dataset (n=225). In the training sample, patients in the sUA <6 mg/dL group were on febuxostat for a longer time, were more adherent, and had a lower average base-line sUA level (all p<0.0001) vs patients in the sUA ≥6 mg/dL group. In the logistic model, febuxostat adherence (odds ratio [OR]=1.03, p<0.0001) and baseline sUA level (OR=0.84, p<0.0001) increased the odds of attaining sUA <6 mg/dL. In the linear regression model, increase in febuxostat adherence (p<0.0001), baseline sUA level (p<0.0001), advanced age (p=0.0021), and not having congestive heart failure (p<0.05) were associated with a reduction of sUA level. Pre-index allopurinol use was a marginally significant predictor of sUA level reduction (p=0.06).

Conclusions

Among febuxostat users diagnosed with gout in a real-world setting, adherence to febuxostat and lower baseline sUA level were the strongest predictors of attaining sUA goal. These findings may help clinicians to identify appropriate patients most likely to benefit from febuxostat treatment, and underscore the importance of medication adherence in this challenging patient population.

The Duality of Economic Issues With Medication Non-adherence in Patients With Inflammatory Arthritis

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

In this review, we synthesize current data on non-adherence across inflammatory arthritides and explore (1) the effects of economic factors on non-adherence and (2) the impacts of non-adherence on economic outcomes.

RECENT FINDINGS

Recent evidence demonstrates medication non-adherence rates as high as 74% in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), 90% in gout, 50% in psoriatic arthritis (PsA), 75% in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and 82% in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The effects of socioeconomic factors have been studied most in RA and SLE but with inconsistent findings. Nonetheless, the evidence points to having prescription coverage and costs of treatment as important factors in RA and education as an important factor in SLE. Limited data in AS and gout, and no studies of the effects of socioeconomic factors in PsA, show knowledge gaps for future research. Finally, there is a dearth of data with respect to the impacts of non-adherence on economic outcomes.

Pharmacoepidemiology resources in Ireland-an introduction to pharmacy claims data

Introduction

Administrative health data, such as pharmacy claims data, present a valuable resource for conducting pharmacoepidemiological and health services research. Often, data are available for whole populations allowing population level analyses. Moreover, their routine collection ensures that the data reflect health care utilisation in the real-world setting compared to data collected in clinical trials.

Setting and methods

The Irish Health Service Executive-Primary Care Reimbursement Service (HSE-PCRS) community pharmacy claims database is described. The availability of demographic variables and drug-related information is discussed. The strengths and limitations associated using this database for conducting research are presented, in particular, internal and external validity. Examples of recently conducted research using the HSE-PCRS pharmacy claims database are used to illustrate the breadth of its use.

Results and conclusions

The HSE-PCRS national pharmacy claims database is a large, high-quality, valid and accurate data source for measuring drug exposure in specific populations in Ireland. The main limitation is the lack of generalisability for those aged <70 years and the lack of information on indication or outcome.

Long-term persistence and adherence on urate-lowering treatment can be maintained in primary care-5-year follow-up of a proof-of-concept study

Objectives

To evaluate the persistence and adherence on urate-lowering treatment (ULT) in primary care 5 years after an initial nurse-led treatment of gout.

Methods

One hundred gout patients initiated on up-titrated ULT between March and July 2010 were sent a questionnaire that elicited information on current ULT, reasons for discontinuation of ULT if applicable, medication adherence and generic and disease-specific quality-of-life measures in 2015. They were invited for one visit at which height and weight were measured and blood was collected for serum uric acid measurement.

Results

Seventy-five patients, mean age 68.13 years ( s . d . 10.07) and disease duration 19.44 years ( s . d . 13), returned completed questionnaires. The 5-year persistence on ULT was 90.7% (95% CI 81.4, 91.6) and 85.3% of responders self-reported taking ULT ⩾6 days/week. Of the 65 patients who attended the study visit, the mean serum uric acid was 292.8 μmol/l ( s . d . 97.2).

Conclusion

An initial treatment that includes individualized patient education and involvement in treatment decisions results in excellent adherence and persistence on ULT >4 years after the responsibility of treatment is taken over by the patient's general practitioner, suggesting that this model of gout management should be widely adopted.

Treatment approaches and adherence to urate-lowering therapy for patients with gout

Gout is the most common inflammatory arthritis characterized by painful disabling acute attacks. It is caused by hyperuricemia and deposition of urate crystals in and around the joints. Long-standing untreated hyperuricemia can lead to chronic arthritis with joint damage, tophi formation and urate nephropathy. Gout is associated with significant morbidity and health care associated cost. The goal of long-term therapy is to lower the serum urate level to promote dissolution of urate crystals, reduce recurrent acute gout flares, resolve tophi and prevent joint damage. Despite the presence of established gout treatment guidelines and effective medications to manage gout, patient outcomes are often poor. Etiology for these shortcomings is multifactorial including both physician and patient characteristics. Poor adherence to urate-lowering therapy (ULT) is prevalent and is a significant contributor to poor patient outcomes. This article reviews the treatment strategies for the management of hyperuricemia in chronic gout, gaps in quality of care in gout management, factors contributing to poor adherence to ULT and discusses potential interventions to achieve improved gout-related outcomes. These interventions include initiation of prophylactic anti-inflammatory medication when starting ULT, frequent follow-ups, regular serum urate monitoring and improved patient education, which can be achieved through pharmacist- or nurse-assisted programs. Interventions such as these could improve adherence to ULT and, ultimately, result in optimal gout-related outcomes.

Treat-to-target (T2T) recommendations for gout

OBJECTIVES

The treat-to-target (T2T) concept has been applied successfully in several inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Gout is a chronic disease with a high burden of pain and inflammation. Because the pathogenesis of gout is strongly related to serum urate levels, gout may be an ideal disease in which to apply a T2T approach. Our aim was to develop international T2T recommendations for patients with gout.

METHODS

A committee of experts with experience in gout agreed upon potential targets and outcomes, which was the basis for the systematic literature search. Eleven rheumatologists, one cardiologist, one nephrologist, one general practitioner and one patient met in October 2015 to develop T2T recommendations based on the available scientific evidence. Levels of evidence, strength of recommendations and levels of agreement were derived.

RESULTS

Although no randomised trial was identified in which a comparison with standard treatment or an evaluation of a T2T approach had been performed in patients with gout, indirect evidence was provided to focus on targets such as normalisation of serum urate levels. The expert group developed four overarching principles and nine T2T recommendations. They considered dissolution of crystals and prevention of flares to be fundamental; patient education, ensuring adherence to medications and monitoring of serum urate levels were also considered to be of major importance.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first application of the T2T approach developed for gout. Since no publication reports a trial comparing treatment strategies for gout, highly credible overarching principles and level D expert recommendations were created and agreed upon.