Trend in Prescription and Treatment Retention of Molecular-Targeted Drugs in 121,131 Japanese Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Population-Based Real-World Study

Retention rates of different Janus kinase inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis: experience from a large monocentric cohort

OBJECTIVE

The efficacy of Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been clearly shown. However, information on comparative drug retention rates (DRRs) of different JAKi is heterogeneous. The aim of this study was to compute and compare DRRs of different JAKi in a large cohort of RA patients.

METHOD

Patients with RA treated with at least one JAKi and followed up at our centre were retrospectively identified. DRRs of each JAKi were computed at 24 months. The association of baseline features with drug persistence was tested. Variations in 28-joint Disease Activity Score-C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP) and Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) scores between baseline and 12 months were analysed.

RESULTS

The study included 365 patients, with a total of 463 therapy courses. Tofacitinib was the most prescribed JAKi (33%), followed by baricitinib (25%), upadacitinib (24%), and filgotinib (21%). The mean treatment duration was 24 ± 17 months, with a maximum of 70 months. At 24 months, the overall DRR was 86%. DRRs were not significantly different across different JAKi. The only baseline predictor of treatment discontinuation was previous treatment with a biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (bDMARD) (hazard ratio 1.65, 95% confidence interval 1.08-2.53; p = 0.021). There were significant reductions in DAS28-CRP and CDAI 1 year after treatment start.

CONCLUSIONS

In our large, monocentric cohort, the overall 24 month DRR for JAKi was greater than 80%. No significant differences in retention were found among different JAKi. Persistence was lower in patients who had previously been treated with other bDMARDs.

Incidence and risk factors of discontinuation of tofacitinib and biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs among patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A population-based cohort study

To investigate the incidence of the discontinuation among tofacitinib and biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This retrospective population-based cohort study included 5,008 RA patients who initiated treatment with either tofacitinib or bDMARDs (etanercept, adalimumab, golimumab, tocilizumab, or abatacept) between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2020. We conducted Cox proportional hazards regression and subsequent time-dependent regression to assess the risk of drug discontinuation, with adjustments for potential variables. The highest drug discontinuation rate was observed with etanercept (43.27%), while the lowest was with tofacitinib (21.8%). Tofacitinib was associated with a significantly lower risk of discontinuation compared to etanercept (HR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.57-0.80) and other bDMARDs. Higher steroid dosage and the presence of concomitant connective tissue diseases were significant risk factors for drug discontinuation. Conversely, the use of methotrexate was associated with a reduced risk of discontinuation. Tofacitinib demonstrated a lower risk of drug discontinuation compared to TNFi, with the risk factors for discontinuation including higher steroid dosage and concomitant connective tissue diseases. The study highlights the importance of considering several potential risk factors in drug discontinuation. Key Points • Non-TNFi biologic agents demonstrated better drug retention than TNFi among patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, with tofacitinib showing the lowest discontinuation rate (21.8%), underscoring its potential for superior drug retention in rheumatoid arthritis management. • Several factors were associated with drug discontinuation: higher steroid dosage and concomitant connective tissue diseases were linked to a higher discontinuation rate, whereas the concomitant use of methotrexate was associated with a lower risk of discontinuation.

Treatment Patterns of Biologic Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs and Janus Kinase Inhibitors in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis in Japan: A Claims-Based Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Reports on treatment patterns of biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs)/Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in clinical practice are still sparse in Japan, especially in combination with conventional synthetic DMARDs (csDMARDs).

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to investigate treatment patterns of bDMARD/JAKi in the treatment of RA in real-world clinical practice in Japan.

METHOD

A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Japanese Medical Data Vision health claims database. The inclusion criteria required a recorded diagnosis of RA, defined by ICD-10 codes, in patients aged 18 years and older on the index date. We analyzed 39,903 RA patients treated with DMARDs from 2008 to 2020.

RESULTS

Among analyzed subjects, 10,196 patients (25.6%) were prescribed bDMARDs/JAKi in combination with csDMARDs, and 3067 patients (7.7%) were prescribed these drugs without csDMARDs. Among the bDMARDs/JAKi, tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) were the most commonly prescribed DMARD overall, and also the most common first-line therapy, accounting for 60.0% or 45.5% of patients prescribed these drugs in combination with or without csDMARDs, respectively. Switching, temporary discontinuation (restarting with the same agents), and discontinuation of bDMARDs/JAKi were observed in 3150 (30.9%), 1379 (13.5%), and 2025 (19.9%) patients with csDMARDs, and in 849 (27.7%), 513 (16.7%), and 833 (27.2%) patients without csDMARDs, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Real-world treatment trajectories of bDMARDs/JAKi with and without csDMARDs was analyzed in RA patients in Japan between 2008 and 2020. TNFi were the predominant first-line therapy, and likely to be switched to different classes. Understanding the current treatment patterns, including discontinuation, is important to find an optimal treatment strategy for RA patients.

Safety of the JAK and TNF inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis: real world data from the Hong Kong Biologics Registry

OBJECTIVES

To compare the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), cancer and infective complications in RA patients using Janus kinase (JAKis) and TNF (TNFis) inhibitors.

METHOD

A retrospective analysis of data from the Hong Kong Biologics Registry 2008-2021 was performed. RA patients who had ever used JAKis or TNFis were included. The incidence of MACEs, cancer and infections were compared between the two groups, with adjustment for confounding factors.

RESULTS

A total of 2471 courses of JAKis (n = 551) and TNFis (n = 1920) were used in 1732 RA patients (83.7% women, age 53.8 [12.5] years; follow-up 6431 patient-years). JAKi users had significantly older age, more atherosclerotic risk factors and higher frequency of past malignancies. A total of 15 and 40 MACEs developed in the JAKi and TNFi users, respectively (incidence 1.34 vs 0.75 per 100 patient-years; P = 0.22). There was no significant difference in the incidence of cancers between the two groups (0.81 [JAKi] vs 0.85 [TNFi] per 100 patient-years; P = 0.25). The adjusted hazard ratios of MACE and cancer in the JAKi users were 1.36 (95% CI: 0.62, 2.96) (P = 0.44) and 0.87 (95% CI: 0.39, 1.95) (P = 0.74), respectively. Rates of infections were significantly higher in the JAKi than TNFi users (16.3 vs 9.9 per 100 patient-years; P = 0.02), particularly herpes zoster (3.49 vs 0.94 per 100 patient-years; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

In a real-life setting, there is no increase in MACEs or cancers in users of JAKis compared with TNFis. However, the incidence of non-serious infections, including herpes zoster, was increased in users of JAKis.

Incidence of opportunistic infections in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with different molecular-targeted drugs: A population-based retrospective cohort study

OBJECTIVES

We compared the incidences of four opportunistic infections (OIs) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with molecular-targeted drugs from big claims data.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We identified 205,906 patients with RA who were prescribed molecular-targeted drugs in 2010-17 from the National Database of Japan and calculated the incidence of four OIs (Pneumocystis pneumonia, tuberculosis, nontuberculous mycobacterial infection, and herpes zoster).

RESULTS

The total number of Pneumocystis pneumonia, tuberculosis, nontuberculous mycobacterial infection, and herpes zoster patients with biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs or tofacitinib treatment history in RA was 765, 1158, 834, and 18,336, respectively. The incidence rates of each OI for all biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs were 0.14, 0.14, 0.09, and 2.40 per 100 person-years, respectively, while for tofacitinib they were 0.22, 0.22, 0.07, and 7.00 per 100 person-years. No big difference was observed among biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. All OIs showed higher incidence in those >65 years, but Pneumocystis pneumonia, nontuberculous mycobacterial infection, and herpes zoster showed no difference between those 65-74 years old and those >75 years old. The median of occurrence was the third, seventh, ninth, and thirteenth month after treatment, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

We counted real incidence rates of OIs for the whole nation from big claims data.

Cardiovascular risk of Janus kinase inhibitors compared with biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis without underlying cardiovascular diseases: a nationwide cohort study

Objectives: Despite the ethnic differences in cardiovascular (CV) risks and recent increase in the prescription of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, limited evidence is available for their CV outcomes in Asian patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We aimed to compare the major adverse CV events (MACEs) of JAK inhibitors to those of biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) in Korean patients with RA without baseline CV disease (CVD). Methods: In a nationwide retrospective cohort study, patients newly diagnosed with RA without a history of CVD between 2013 and 2018 were identified using the National Health Insurance Service database. The cohort was followed up until the end of 2019 for the development of MACEs. Hazard ratios (HRs) for MACEs such as myocardial infarction, stroke, coronary revascularization, or all-cause death, were estimated using Cox proportional hazard regression in a propensity score-matched cohort. Results: In total, 4,230 matched patients with RA were included (846 JAK inhibitor users and 3,384 bDMARD users). The crude incidence rate (95% confidence intervals, CI) per 100 patient-years for MACEs was 0.83 (0.31-1.81) and 0.74 (0.53-1.02) in the JAK inhibitor and bDMARD groups, respectively. The risk of MACEs was not significantly different between JAK inhibitor and bDMARD users with an adjusted HR (95% CI) of 1.28 (0.53-3.11). There were no significant differences in the risk of MACEs between JAK inhibitors and bDMARDs in each subgroup according to the types of bDMARDs, age, sex, Charlson comorbidity index score, and comorbidities. Conclusion: Compared to bDMARDs, JAK inhibitors were not associated with the occurrence of MACEs in Korean patients with RA without a history of CVD.

Long-Term Retention Rate of Tofacitinib in Rheumatoid Arthritis: An Italian Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: Tofacitinib (TOFA) was the first Janus kinase inhibitor (JAKi) to be approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, data on the retention rate of TOFA therapy are still far from definitive. Objective: The goal of this study is to add new real-world data on the TOFA retention rate in a cohort of RA patients followed for a long period of time. Methods: A multicenter retrospective study of RA subjects treated with TOFA as monotherapy or in combination with conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) was conducted in 23 Italian tertiary rheumatology centers. The study considered a treatment period of up to 48 months for all included patients. The TOFA retention rate was assessed with the Kaplan-Meier method. Hazard ratios (HRs) for TOFA discontinuation were obtained using Cox regression analysis. Results: We enrolled a total of 213 patients. Data analysis revealed that the TOFA retention rate was 86.5% (95% CI: 81.8-91.5%) at month 12, 78.8% (95% CI: 78.8-85.2%) at month 24, 63.8% (95% CI: 55.1-73.8%) at month 36, and 59.9% (95% CI: 55.1-73.8%) at month 48 after starting treatment. None of the factors analyzed, including the number of previous treatments received, disease activity or duration, presence of rheumatoid factor and/or anti-citrullinated protein antibody, and presence of comorbidities, were predictive of the TOFA retention rate. Safety data were comparable to those reported in the registration studies. Conclusions: TOFA demonstrated a long retention rate in RA in a real-world setting. This result, together with the safety data obtained, underscores that TOFA is a viable alternative for patients who have failed treatment with csDMARD and/or biologic DMARDs (bDMARDs). Further large, long-term observational studies are urgently needed to confirm these results.

Treatment Sequence After Initiating Biologic Therapy for Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis in Korea: A Nationwide Retrospective Cohort Study

Objective

To evaluate treatment patterns and healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) after initiating biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) in Korean patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods

Patients newly diagnosed with RA in 2014 were identified and followed up on using the Korean National Health Insurance Database until 2018. The initial line of therapy (LOT) or LOT1 included patients treated with conventional DMARDs (cDMARD). Patients who started a bDMARD were assigned to LOT2 bDMARD. Those who moved from a bDMARD to a Janus kinase inhibitor were assigned to LOT3. Analyzed outcomes were treatment patterns and HCRU in LOT2 bDMARD.

Results

The most prescribed initial bDMARD was a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor. Seventy-five percent of patients had changes in treatment after starting a bDMARD, such as addition/removal or switch of a DMARD, and transition to LOT3. For the first and second changes in LOT2 bDMARD, adding a cDMARD to a bDMARD was more common than switching to another bDMARD (7.98% vs. 2.93% for the first change, and 17.10% vs. 6.51% for the second change). Tocilizumab was the most common bDMARD that was switched to. Forty-eight percent of patients had at least one hospitalization after initiating bDMARDs. Of these patients, 64.3% were admitted due to RA-related reasons.

Conclusion

This real-world study provides information on treatment characteristics of RA patients in Korea after starting a bDMARD. In contrary to guidelines, cDMARD addition was more often than bDMARD switches in daily clinical practice.

A Retrospective, Longitudinal Study of Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment Patterns with Janus Kinase Inhibitors and Other Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs in Japan

OBJECTIVES

There is limited information on the clinical use of Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKis) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment in Japan. The aim of this study was to identify disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) treatment patterns in Japan.

METHODS

This retrospective, longitudinal study extracted data from the Japan Medical Data Center database. Patients with RA diagnosis were enrolled 2016-2019, during which patients had a first prescription of a major DMARD, split into six mutually exclusive classes: methotrexate (MTX); other conventional synthetic (cs)DMARDs; tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) inhibitors; cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen-4-immunoglobulin; anti-interleukin-6 receptor therapies; and JAKis. The primary objective was to describe DMARD treatment patterns, especially for JAKis.

RESULTS

Overall, 10,399 patients were included in the analysis. The most common treatments were MTX, other csDMARDs, and TNFα inhibitors. The total number of JAKi prescriptions increased approximately eight-fold during 2016-2019. Most (61.1%) patients who received JAKis had prior MTX or TNFα inhibitor treatment. JAKi treatment duration was longer than for biologics and other csDMARDs, and comparable to that of MTX.

CONCLUSIONS

The sequence of drug class prescriptions for RA in Japan during 2016-2019 followed clinical guidelines. Over this period, JAKis were increasingly used as second-line treatment following MTX.