Work Productivity and Costs Related to Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Psoriasis

Improvement in work productivity among psoriatic arthritis patients treated with biologic or targeted synthetic drugs: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Capacity to work is impacted by psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Our objective was to describe the course of work productivity and leisure activity in patients with PsA treated with biologic (b) and targeted synthetic (ts) disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).

METHODS

A systematic literature review identified all trials and observational studies published January 1, 2010-October 22, 2021, reporting work productivity using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire (WPAI) in patients with PsA treated with b/tsDMARDs. Outcomes for WPAI domains (absenteeism, presenteeism, total work productivity, and activity impairment) were collected at baseline and time point closest to 24 weeks of treatment. A random effects meta-analysis of single means was conducted to calculate an overall absolute mean change from baseline for each WPAI domain.

RESULTS

Twelve studies (ten randomized controlled and two observational) assessing patients treated with adalimumab, bimekizumab, guselkumab, ixekizumab, risankizumab, secukinumab, or upadacitinib were analysed. Among 3741 employed patients, overall mean baseline scores were 11.4%, 38.7%, 42.7%, and 48.9% for absenteeism, presenteeism, total work productivity impairment, and activity impairment, respectively. Estimated absolute mean improvements (95% confidence interval) to week 24 were 2.4 percentage points (%p) (0.6, 4.1), 17.8%p (16.2,19.3), 17.6%p (15.9,19.4), and 19.3%p (17.6, 21.0) respectively, leading to a mean relative improvement of 41% for total work productivity. The change in work outcomes in the b/tsDMARDs appeared similar.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic literature review and meta-analysis confirmed that patients with active PsA have a substantially reduced capacity to work and participate in leisure activities. Substantial improvements across various WPAI domains were noted after 24 weeks of b/tsDMARD treatment, especially in presenteeism, total work productivity, and activity impairment. These findings may be useful for reimbursement purposes and in the context of shared decision-making. This systematic literature review (SLR) of randomized clinical trials and observational studies of biologic (b) and targeted synthetic (ts) disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs b/tsDMARDs in patients with PsA found that at treatment introduction, patients presented with a 42.7% mean productivity loss per week as assessed by the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI) Questionnaire. Through a meta-analysis comparing before/after values without adjustment for placebo response, we found that after 24 weeks of treatment with b/tsDMARDs, there was a mean absolute improvement of 17.6 percentage points and a mean relative improvement of 41% in total work productivity, with similar magnitudes of improvement in time spent at work and regular activities outside of work. These results provide clinical-, regulatory- and reimbursement decision-makers with data on the potential societal and socio-economic benefits of b/tsDMARDs in PsA.

Validation of the Italian version of the ANCA-associated vasculitis patient-reported outcome (AAV-PRO) questionnaire

Objectives

The primary objective of this study was the translation and validation of the ANCA-associated vasculitis patient-reported outcome (AAV-PRO) questionnaire into Italian, denoted as AAV-PRO_ita. The secondary objective was to evaluate the impact of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) on quality of life (QoL) and work impairment in a large cohort of Italian patients.

Methods

The study design took a prospective cohort study approach. First, the AAV-PRO was translated into Italian following the step guidelines for translations. The new AAV-PRO_ita questionnaire covered three disease domains: organ-specific and systemic symptoms and signs; physical function; and social and emotional impact. Second, Italian-speaking AAV patients were recruited from 17 Italian centres belonging to the Italian Vasculitis Study Group. Participants completed the AAV-PRO_ita questionnaire at three time points. Participants were also requested to complete the work productivity and activity impairment: general health questionnaire.

Results

A total of 276 AAV patients (56.5% women) completed the questionnaires. The AAV-PRO_ita questionnaire demonstrated a good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Female AAV patients scored higher (i.e. worse) in all thee domains, especially in the social and emotional impact domain (P < 0.001). Patients on glucocorticoid therapy (n = 199) had higher scores in all domains, especially in the physical function domain (P < 0.001), compared with patients not on glucocorticoid therapy (n = 77). Furthermore, patients who had at least one relapse of disease (n = 114) had higher scores compared with those who had never had one (n = 161) in any domain (P < 0.05). Finally, nearly 30% of the patients reported work impairment.

Conclusion

The AAV-PRO_ita questionnaire is a new 29-item, disease-specific patient-reported outcome measuring tool that can be used in AAV research in the Italian language. Sex, glucocorticoids and relapsing disease showed the greatest impact on QoL.

Work absenteeism and disability associated with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis in the USA-a retrospective study of claims data from 2009 TO 2020

OBJECTIVES

To compare work absenteeism and short-term disability among adults with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis (PsA), versus controls in the USA.

METHODS

Adults eligible for work absenteeism and/or short-term disability benefits between 1/1/2009 and 4/30/2020 were screened in the IBM® MarketScan® Commercial and Health and Productivity Management Databases. The following groups were defined: (1) psoriasis: ≥ 2 psoriasis diagnoses ≥ 30 days apart and no PsA diagnoses; (2) PsA: ≥ 2 PsA diagnoses ≥ 30 days apart; (3) control: absence of psoriasis and PsA diagnoses. Controls were matched to psoriasis and PsA patients based on age, gender, index year, and comorbidities. Non-recreational work absences and sick leaves were evaluated in absentee-eligible patients, and short-term disability was evaluated in short-term disability-eligible patients. Costs (in 2019 USD) associated with each type of work absence were evaluated.

RESULTS

4261 psoriasis and 616 PsA absentee-eligible and 25,213 psoriasis and 3480 PsA short-term disability-eligible patients were matched to controls. Average non-recreational work absence costs were $1681, $1657, and $1217 for the PsA, psoriasis, and control group, respectively. Compared with psoriasis patients and controls, more PsA patients had sick leaves after 1 year (56.2% versus 55.6% and 41.5%, p < 0.0001). Similarly, short-term disability was more frequent in PsA patients than psoriasis patients and controls at year one (8.8% versus 5.6% and 4.7%, p < 0.0001) and corresponding costs were higher ($605, $406, and $335 on average, p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

Annual work absenteeism and short-term disability were consistently greater among patients with PsA and psoriasis than controls, highlighting the substantial economic burden of psoriatic disease. Key points • Patients with PsA had greater short-term disability compared with patients with psoriasis and patients with neither psoriasis nor PsA. • Patients with PsA and patients with psoriasis incurred greater non-recreational work absences and sick leaves than patients with neither psoriasis nor PsA.

The effect of intravenous golimumab on health-related quality of life and work productivity in adult patients with active ankylosing spondylitis: results of the phase 3 GO-ALIVE trial

INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVES

The effect of intravenous (IV) golimumab on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and productivity in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) was evaluated.

METHOD

Patients were randomized to IV golimumab 2 mg/kg (n = 105) at weeks 0, 4, then every 8 weeks (q8w) through week 52 or placebo (n = 103) at weeks 0, 4, 12, with crossover to golimumab 2 mg/kg at weeks 16, 20, then q8w through week 52. Changes from baseline in EuroQol-5 dimension-5 level (EQ-5D-5L) index and visual analog scale (EQ-VAS), daily productivity VAS, Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ), and Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life (ASQoL) were assessed. Correlations between these outcomes and disease activity and patient functioning outcomes were evaluated post hoc.

RESULTS

At week 16, changes from baseline (mean ± standard deviation) in EQ-5D-5L index (0.17 ± 0.16 vs 0.05 ± 0.14), EQ-VAS (20.3 ± 24.6 vs 4.8 ± 23.5), daily productivity VAS (- 2.9 ± - 2.9 vs - 1.1 ± - 2.5), WLQ productivity loss score (- 3.5 ± - 5.3 vs - 1.9 ± - 4.0), and ASQoL (- 5.4 ± - 5.0 vs - 1.8 ± - 4.5) were greater in the IV golimumab versus placebo group, respectively. At week 28, changes from baseline were similar between the IV golimumab and placebo-crossover groups (EQ-5D-5L index: 0.18 ± 0.17 and 0.16 ± 0.16, EQ-VAS: 20.5 ± 27.9 and 22.5 ± 23.1, daily productivity VAS: - 3.1 ± - 3.0 and - 3.1 ± - 2.8, WLQ productivity loss: - 3.9 ± - 5.5 and - 4.5 ± - 4.5, and ASQoL: - 5.3 ± - 5.2 and - 5.3 ± - 4.8, respectively); improvements were maintained through week 52. HRQoL and productivity outcomes were generally moderately correlated with disease activity and functioning outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with AS, IV golimumab produced sustained improvements in HRQoL and productivity through 1 year, which correlated with improvements in disease activity and functioning. ClinicalTrials.gov registry number is NCT02186873. Key Points • Intravenous (IV) golimumab resulted in clinically important improvement in general and ankylosing spondylitis-specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and productivity outcomes in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) as early as week 8 and maintained improvement through 1 year • Improvements in HRQoL and productivity outcomes in these patients with AS were correlated with improvements in measures of disease activity and patient functional capability • IV golimumab is an effective treatment option for AS that can help mitigate the negative effects of the disease on HRQoL and productivity.

Short-term response in new users of anti-TNF predicts long-term productivity and non-disability: analysis of Czech ATTRA ankylosing spondylitis biologic registry

Objectives: To assess the role of short-term response to first anti-TNF in long-term prediction of disability.Methods: In nationwide registry ATTRA, we identified ankylosing spondylitis patients starting anti-TNF between 01/2003 and 12/2016. Full disability and work impairment (WI; WPAI questionnaire) were predicted via the Cox- and lagged-parameter mixed-effect regression.Results: 2,274 biologicals-naïve patients newly indicated to anti-TNF were prospectively followed (6,333 patient-years; median follow-up 1.9 years). Reaching BASDAI < 4 (77.4%) and ASDAS-CRP < 2.1 (61.1%) after 3 months of anti-TNF both decreased the risk of future disability by ≈2.5-fold. ASDAS-CRP < 2.1 predicted non-disability better than BASDAI < 4 & CRP < 5 mg/L (p = 0.032). BASDAI < 4 & CRP < 5 mg/L was comparable to BASDAI < 4 (p = 0.941) and to BASDAI change by >50% or by >2 points (p = 0.902). ASDAS-CRP change >1.1 and >2.0 both failed to predict non-disability. Once on anti-TNF therapy, the strongest predictor of WI was Pain (SF36). Yearly increase in indirect costs remains below €3,000 in those reaching ASDAS-CRP < 2.1.Conclusions: Low disease activity measured by ASDAS-CRP ≤ 2.1 should be used to measure the outcome of new anti-TNF therapy. Continuous WI could be decreased through pain management.

Systemic rheumatic diseases: From biological agents to small molecules

The development of biologics and small oral molecules has recently changed the scenario of pharmacologic treatment of systemic rheumatic diseases and it has become a real revolution. These drugs have innovative mechanisms of action, based on the inhibition of specific molecular or cellular targets directly involved in disease pathogenesis. This new scenario has lead to a regular update of the management recommendations of several institutions, such as those for Rheumatoid Arthritis treatment that address the use of conventional and biologic therapies including TNF inhibitors (adalimumab, certolizumab pegol, etanercept, golimumab, infliximab), abatacept, rituximab, IL-6 inhibitors (tocilizumab and sarilumab), biosimilars and small oral molecules (the JAK inhibitors tofacitinib and baricitinib). Monotherapy, combination therapy, treatment strategies (such as treat-to-target) and the targets of sustained clinical remission or low disease activity are the final goal of the guidelines for rheumatic patients management. In another condition represented by Axial Spondyloarthritis guidelines suggest to start first with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to improve lifestyle and reduce spine inflammation, but if this is not achieved in 2-4 weeks it is important to consider the use of local therapies (i.e. glucocorticoid injections) or to start biologic therapy such as TNF inhibitors and then eventually switching to another TNF inhibitor or swapping to IL-17 inhibitor. In the case of active Psoriatic Arthritis, guidelines suggest to start with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and even local glucocorticoid injections especially for oligoarthritis, then to start conventional therapies if lack of efficacy, and finally start biologics or small oral molecules in the presence of drugs toxicity, unfavorable prognostic factors and still active arthritis. In several cases, active Psoriatic Arthritis patients develop a complex clinical condition with comorbidities such as diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease and high risk of infections, and for this reason the American College of Rheumatology and the National Psoriasis Foundation have developed specific guidelines for their management. Biologic and new small molecules therapies are very expensive, but the availability of biosimilars offers the opportunity of reducing the treatment cost and significantly decreasing the cost of originators as well. In fact, we live in a period characterized by the need to rationalize costs of these drugs, to allow treating a higher number of patients and to maintain a homogeneous possibility of treatment choice. For these reasons, we need to follow scientific guidelines and patients' clinical conditions to choose the correct treatment, also based on the economic burden of therapies.

Mapping Quality of Life (EQ-5D) from DAPsA, Clinical DAPsA and HAQ in Psoriatic Arthritis

BACKGROUND

Clinical trials and observational studies lacking measures of health-related quality of life (QoL) are often inapplicable when conducting cost-effectiveness analyses using quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). The only solution is to map QoL ex post from additionally collected clinical outcomes and generic QoL instruments. Nonetheless, mapping studies are absent in psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

METHODS

In this 2-year, prospective, multicentre, non-interventional study of PsA patients, EQ-5D and key clinical parameters such as Disease Activity in PsA (DAPsA), clinical DAPsA (cDAPsA; DAPsA without C-reactive protein [CRP]), and Health Assessment Questionnaire disability index (HAQ) were collected. We employed a linear mixed-effect regression model (ME) of the longitudinal dataset to explore the best predictors of QoL.

RESULTS

A total of 228 patients were followed over 873 appointments/observations. DAPsA, cDAPsA and HAQ were stable and highly significant predictors of EQ-5D utilities in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. The best prediction was provided using a linear ME with HAQ and cDAPsA or DAPsA. A HAQ increase of 1 point represented a decrease in EQ-5D by -0.204 or -0.203 (p < 0.0001); a one-point increase in cDAPsA or DAPsA dropped EQ-5D equally by -0.005 (p < 0.0001). The ME revealed steeper and more accurate association compared with cross-sectional regressions or non-linear models/transformations.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first mapping study conducted in PsA and we hope that our study will encourage further mapping studies in PsA. The results showed that in cases where CRP is absent, cDAPsA provides similar results to DAPsA in predicting QoL.

Cost and Cost Effectiveness of Treatments for Psoriatic Arthritis: A Systematic Literature Review

BACKGROUND

Psoriatic arthritis is a long-term inflammatory arthropathy occurring in a subgroup of patients with psoriasis. In addition to irreversible bone erosions, joint destruction, and skin manifestations, psoriatic arthritis is associated with numerous comorbid conditions. Over the last 5 years, new treatments emerged; the analysis and comparisons of their additional costs and the added benefits have become increasingly important to optimize the limited resources available.

METHODS

A systematic literature review covering PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library was performed from May 2012 to October 2017 focusing on the most recent evidence of costs, benefits, and burden of psoriatic arthritis and its treatments. All economic evaluations assessing the burden of patients with psoriatic arthritis and written in English were eligible for inclusion. We also performed an assessment of the quality of the studies.

RESULTS

Of the 1652 references found in the literature search, nine cost-effectiveness analyses and 12 cost-of-illness studies were included in the current review. Patients with psoriatic arthritis incur substantially higher direct and indirect costs, as compared with patients with psoriasis without arthritis or patients with other inflammatory diseases. The cost of treatment with biologic therapies is the major predictor of the total cost. However, individuals with psoriatic arthritis are also affected by substantial productivity losses and indirect costs. Biologic therapies are generally cost effective vs. conventional therapies (e.g., synthetic drugs) for treating psoriatic arthritis.

CONCLUSIONS

Psoriatic arthritis is associated with a significant economic burden and biologic therapies contribute significantly to these costs. Biologic therapies are more effective than disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs for the symptoms and signs of psoriatic arthritis and for improving quality of life and inhibiting structural radiological damage. Therefore, biologic therapies are cost effective compared with conventional therapies: the increased direct cost associated with biologic drugs is offset by the significant improvement in the efficacy of treatments and in patient management of psoriatic arthritis.

The burden of chronic spontaneous urticaria is substantial: Real-world evidence from ASSURE-CSU

BACKGROUND

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) can be debilitating, difficult to treat, and frustrating for patients and physicians. Real-world evidence for the burden of CSU is limited. The objective of this study was to document disease duration, treatment history, and disease activity, as well as impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and work among patients with inadequately controlled CSU, and to describe its humanistic, societal, and economic burden.

METHODS

This international observational study assessed a cohort of 673 adult patients with CSU whose symptoms persisted for ≥12 months despite treatment. Demographics, disease characteristics, and healthcare resource use in the previous 12 months were collected from medical records. Patient-reported data on urticaria and angioedema symptoms, HRQoL, and work productivity and activity impairment were collected from a survey and a diary.

RESULTS

Almost 50% of patients had moderate-to-severe disease activity as reported by Urticaria Activity Score. Mean (SD) Dermatology Life Quality Index and Chronic Urticaria Quality of Life Questionnaire scores were 9.1 (6.62) and 33.6 (20.99), respectively. Chronic spontaneous urticaria markedly interfered with sleep and daily activities. Angioedema in the previous 12 months was reported by 66% of enrolled patients and significantly affected HRQoL. More than 20% of patients reported ≥1 hour per week of missed work; productivity impairment was 27%. These effects increased with increasing disease activity. Significant healthcare resources and costs were incurred to treat CSU.

CONCLUSIONS

Chronic spontaneous urticaria has considerable humanistic and economic impacts. Patients with greater disease activity and with angioedema experience greater HRQoL impairments.

Mapping the relationship between clinical and quality-of-life outcomes in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

AIM

To map health-related quality of life (Qol) with clinical parameters BASFI and ASDAS-CRP measure, and other covariates.

METHODS

Our prospective multicenter non-interventional observation study of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) collected data about QoL and clinical outcomes on the initial and four subsequent visits. We employed simple linear regression analysis of a cross-sectional dataset, and fixed effect, random effect and pooled linear regression of a longitudinal dataset.

RESULTS

We showed that BASFI and ASDAS-CRP are very strong, robust predictors of EQ-5D utilities in all regression specifications together with sex (female), invalidity, and activity impairment. Additionally, the longitudinal regression analysis showed that a fixed effect model may be a viable alternative to the most commonly used random effect model or pooled linear regression due to the nature of our dataset.

CONCLUSION

This is one of the first studies using a fixed effect model in longitudinal patient-level data, although, this method has been widely used in economics.

Estimating the Impact of Workplace Bullying: Humanistic and Economic Burden among Workers with Chronic Medical Conditions

Background. Although the prevalence of work-limiting diseases is increasing, the interplay between occupational exposures and chronic medical conditions remains largely uncharacterized. Research has shown the detrimental effects of workplace bullying but very little is known about the humanistic and productivity cost in victims with chronic illnesses. We sought to assess work productivity losses and health disutility associated with bullying among subjects with chronic medical conditions. Methods. Participants (N = 1717) with chronic diseases answered a self-administered survey including sociodemographic and clinical data, workplace bullying experience, the SF-12 questionnaire, and the Work Productivity Activity Impairment questionnaire. Results. The prevalence of significant impairment was higher among victims of workplace bullying as compared to nonvictims (SF-12 PCS: 55.5% versus 67.9%, p < 0.01; SF-12 MCS: 59.4% versus 74.3%, p < 0.01). The adjusted marginal overall productivity cost of workplace bullying ranged from 13.9% to 17.4%, corresponding to Italian Purchase Power Parity (PPP) 2010 US$ 4182–5236 yearly. Association estimates were independent and not moderated by concurrent medical conditions. Conclusions. Our findings demonstrate that the burden on workers' quality of life and productivity associated with workplace bullying is substantial. This study provides key data to inform policy-making and prioritize occupational health interventions.