Adherence, discontinuation, and switching of biologic therapies in medicaid enrollees with rheumatoid arthritis

Estimation of optimal adherence threshold for tumor necrosis factor inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis

INTRODUCTION

Optimal adherence thresholds can vary across medications and disease states. The objective of the study was to determine the optimal threshold of the proportion of days covered (PDC) for tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

METHODS

Patients with RA initiating self-administered TNF inhibitors were identified using 2012-18 Medicare fee-for-service claims. Time-varying PDC was calculated every day for the preceding 90 days during follow-up. Oral and injected glucocorticoid use, hospitalizations, emergency room (ER) visits, serious infections, and a composite of these were measured as outcomes. Time to first occurrence of each outcome as a function of time-varying PDC for TNF inhibitors was evaluated using Cox regression. Incident/dynamic time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves and Youden's J index were used to obtain the optimal PDC threshold for outcomes at 365 days.

RESULTS

Of the 1190 patients who met the study inclusion criteria, almost 75% (865 patients) experienced at least one of the outcomes. Increasing PDC by 10% was significantly associated with decreased risks of the composite outcome (HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.96-1.00), oral glucocorticoid use (HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.91-0.96), and hospitalization (HR 0.96, 95% CI 0.94-0.99) but an increased risk of ER visits (HR 1.04, 95% 1.01-1.07). Optimal PDC thresholds for the composite outcome, oral glucocorticoid use, and hospitalization were 0.64, 0.59, and 0.56, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Increased PDC was associated with a decreased risk of adverse outcomes, except ER visits. The optimal PDC for TNF inhibitors in Medicare patients with RA based on clinical outcomes was about 60%. Key Points • The optimal proportion of days covered threshold for tumor necrosis factor inhibitors at 365 days based on clinical outcomes was found to be about 60%, which is lower than the traditional 80% used to define adherence. • Increased adherence was associated with decreased risks of oral glucocorticoid use, hospitalization, and the composite outcome. However, it was also associated with an increased risk of emergency room visits. • The mean time-varying 90-day proportion of days covered decreased throughout the study starting 92% at day 1 of follow-up to 62% at day 365.

Specialty drug use for autoimmune conditions varies by race and wage among employees with employer-sponsored health insurance

BACKGROUND

The relationship between race and ethnicity, wage status, and specialty medication (SpRx) use among employees with autoimmune conditions (AICs) is poorly understood. Insight into sociodemographic variations in use of these medications can inform health equity improvement efforts.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the association of race and ethnicity and wage status on SpRx use and adherence patterns among employees with AICs enrolled in employer-sponsored health insurance.

METHODS

In this observational, retrospective cohort analysis, data were obtained from the IBM Watson MarketScan database for calendar year 2018. Employees were separated into race and ethnicity subgroups based on employer-provided data. Midyear employee wage data were used to allocate employees into the following annual income quartiles: $47,000 or less, $47,001-$71,000, $71,001-$106,000, and $106,001 or more. The lowest quartile was further divided into 2 groups ($35,000 or less and $35,001-$47,000) to better evaluate subgroup differences. Outcomes included monthly days SpRx-AIC supply, proportion of days covered (PDC), and medication discontinuation rates. Generalized linear regressions were used to assess differences while adjusting for patient and other characteristics.

RESULTS

From a sample of more than 2,000,000 enrollees, race and ethnicity data were available for 617,117 (29.8%). Of those, 47,839 (7.8%) were identified as having an AIC of interest, with prevalence rates of AICs differing by race within wage categories. Among those with AICs, 5,358 (11.2%) had filled at least 1 SpRx-AIC prescription. Following adjustment, except for the highest wage category, prevalence of SpRx-AIC use was significantly less among Black and Hispanic subpopulations. Black patients had significantly lower SpRx-AIC use rates than White patients (≤$35,000: 4.9 vs 9.4%, >$35,000-$47,000: 5.5 vs 10.6%, >$47,000-$71,000: 8.5 vs 11.1%, and >$71,000-$106,000: 9.1 vs 12.7%; P <0.001 for all). For Hispanic patients, prevalence rates were significantly lower than White patients in 3 different wage categories (≤$35,000: 4.5 vs 9.4%, >$35,000-$47,000: 6.1 vs 10.6%, and >$71,000-$106,000: 8.6 vs 12.7%; P < 0.001). PDC and 90-day discontinuation rates did not differ among race and ethnicity groups within the respective wage bands.

CONCLUSIONS

Race and ethnicity and wage-related disparities exist in SpRx use, but not PDC or discontinuation rates for treatment of AICs among non-White and low-income populations with employer-sponsored insurance, and may adversely impact clinical outcomes.

First multi-center retrospective study assessed the compliance with and persistence of biological therapies in Bulgarian population with rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory joint disease that causes progressive joint damage, leading to severe disability. Early diagnosis, optimal therapy, and strict adherence to the prescribed medication are key factors that allow for the cessation of the disease progression and the preserving of the patient's quality of life. The objective of this study was to estimate the compliance to and persistence of biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) among the Bulgarian population with RA. This retrospective observational cohort study included 179 patients, who were tracked over a 36-month period. During baseline and subsequent follow-up visits (at months 6, 12, 24, and 36), we monitored the disease activity, side effects, medication tolerability and effectiveness, compliance, and persistence to the prescribed biologic agent. The compliance with bDMARDs among Bulgarian patients with RA was 85.5% in the first year, 76.0% in the second year, and 63.7% in the third year. The Infliximab cohort showed the lowest compliance rate (50%), with the other subgroups bDMARDs having similar results (64-70%) during the period of observation. The median therapy duration across all patient cohorts is 61.9 months (IQR 55.7-67.6). Our study did not establish any significant impact of gender, age and disease duration, concomitant treatment with methotrexate, type of biologic agent and previous exposure to biological agents on the treatment adherence. The compliance with and persistence of the prescribed bDMARD among the Bulgarian population with RA is unsatisfactory. Therapy interruption and nonadherence to recommended therapy are associated with disease progression and patient disability. The consequences include not only financial burdens but also psychosocial and physical impacts.

Evaluating Changes in Surgical Outcomes for Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease Following Medicaid Expansion

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the impact of Medicaid expansion on the surgical care of inflammatory bowel disease. We sought to determine whether Medicaid expansion is associated with improved postsurgical outcomes for patients with inflammatory bowel disease undergoing a colorectal resection.

METHODS

We performed a risk-adjusted difference-in-difference study examining postsurgical outcomes for patients ages 26 to 64 with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis undergoing a colorectal resection across 15 states that did and did not expand Medicaid before (2012-2013) and after (2016-2018) policy reform. Primary study outcomes included 30-day readmission and postoperative complication.

RESULTS

Study population included 11 394 patients with inflammatory bowel disease that underwent a colorectal resection. States that underwent Medicaid expansion were associated with a rise in Medicaid enrollment following policy reform (11.8% pre-Medicaid expansion vs 19.7% post-Medicaid expansion). Difference-in-difference analysis revealed a statistically significant lower odds of 30-day readmission in patients undergoing a colorectal resection in expansion states following policy reform relative to patients in nonexpansion states prior to reform (odds ratio, 0.56; 95% confidence interval, 0.36-0.86). No changes in odds of postoperative complication were noted across expansion and nonexpansion states.

CONCLUSIONS

Medicaid expansion is associated with a rise in Medicaid enrollment in expansion states following policy reform. There were greater improvements in postoperative outcomes associated with patients in expansion states following policy reform relative to patients in nonexpansion states prior to reform, which may have been related to improved perioperative care and medical management.

Adherence patterns in naïve and prevalent use of infliximab and its biosimilar

Introduction

Although short-term clinical trials have demonstrated that switching from infliximab (INF) bio-originator to its biosimilar is safe with no significant loss of efficacy, there are limited real-world data comparing their patterns of use and adherence.

Methods

Using 2015–2018 IBM Marketscan data, we established 4 cohorts of patients with at least one administration or pharmacy claim for INF bio-originator or biosimilar in 2017, including INF naïve biosimilar users, INF prevalent biosimilar users, INF naïve bio-originator users, and INF prevalent bio-originator users, defined according to their prior use of INF from 2015 to their first INF administration in 2017. The proportion of days covered (PDC) was calculated for patients with at least 6, 12, or 18 months of follow-up time. Factors associated with optimal adherence (PDC > 80%) were evaluated using log-binomial models.

Results

We identified 96 INF naïve biosimilar users, 223 INF prevalent biosimilar users, 2,149 INF naïve bio-originator users, and 10,970 INF prevalent bio-originator users. At the end of 18 months of follow-up, 64% of INF prevalent bio-originators, 48% of INF naïve biosimilars, 41% of INF naïve bio-originators, and 36% of INF prevalent biosimilars had optimal adherence. Depression, previous hospitalization, and greater use of prior biologics were negatively associated with adherence, whereas IBD diagnoses (referent to RA) and age 55–64 (referent to < 35) were positively associated with high adherence.

Conclusion

INF prevalent users had higher adherence in our analyses than INF naïve users. However, further studies with larger sample size are needed to evaluate INF biosimilar users’ adherence.

Non-Trough adalimumab and certolizumab drug levels associated with a therapeutic EULAR response in adherent patients with rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVES

Interventions aimed at increasing tumour-necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor serum drug levels (SDLs) may improve treatment response; however, previous studies suggesting SDL cut-offs have not accounted for treatment adherence. The aim of this study was to establish the relationship between Adalimumab/Certolizumab SDLs and EULAR good vs non/moderate response, and to define SDL cut-offs associated with good response in fully adherent patients.

METHODS

In a prospective observational study, 475 patients with RA were treated with Certolizumab (n = 192) or Adalimumab (n = 283). At baseline, 3/6/12-months patients had DAS28, self-reported treatment adherence, and SDLs measured. Fully adherent patients were analysed as a subgroup. Follow-up data at 3/6/12-months was analysed separately. Median SDLs were compared in good vs non/moderate response, and receiver-operator characteristics curves (ROC) were used to establish cut-off SDLs.

RESULTS

Fully adherent good responders had significantly higher median Adalimumab/Certolizumab SDLs compared with non/moderate responders (p= 0·04 and p= 0·0005, respectively). ROC analysis reported 3-month non-trough Adalimumab SDLs discriminated good vs non/moderate response with an AUC of 0·63 (95% CI 0·52-0·75), with a cut-off of 7·5mg/l being 39·1% specific, and 80·9% sensitive. Similarly, 3-month non-trough Certolizumab SDLs discriminated good vs non/moderate response with an AUC of 0·65 (95% CI 0·51-0·78), with a cut-off of 26·0mg/l being 43·9% specific, and 77·8% sensitive.

CONCLUSION

In fully adherent patients, higher SDLs are detected in good responders suggesting that interventions to improve SDLs such as encouraging adherence could improve treatment response. 3-month non-trough SDL cut-offs of 7·5mg/l for Adalimumab and 26·0mg/l for Certolizumab may be useful in clinical practice.

Impact of Non-Persistence on Healthcare Resource Utilization and Costs in Patients With Immune-Mediated Rheumatic Diseases Initiating Subcutaneous TNF-Alpha Inhibitors: A Before-and-After Study

Rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis are chronic progressive immune-mediated rheumatic diseases (IMRD) that can cause a progressive disability and joint deformation and thus can impact in healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and costs. The main outcome of the study was to assess the effect of non-persistence to treatment with subcutaneous tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors (SC-TNFis) on HCRU costs in naïve patients with IMRD who started treatment with adalimumab, etanercept, golimumab or certolizumab pegol during 12 months after initiation of treatment. The impact of persistence and non-persistence of SC-TNFis on HCRU costs was compared between 12 months before and 12 months after initiating SC-TNFis. Persistence was defined as the duration of time from initiation to discontinuation of therapy. The study was conducted in an acute care teaching hospital in Barcelona, Spain. Data for the period between 2015 and 2018 were extracted from the hospital cost management control database. HCRU costs comprised outpatient care, outpatient specialized rheumatology care, in-patient care, emergency care, laboratory testing and other non-biological therapies. The study population included 110 naïve SC-TNFis patients, divided into the cohorts of persistent (n = 85) and non-persistent (n = 25) patients. Fifty-six percent of patients were women, with a mean (standard deviation) age of 47.6 (14.8) years. Baseline clinical features and HCRU costs over the 12 months before the index prescription were similar in the two study groups. Before-and-after differences in mean (standard deviation) HCRU costs were significantly higher in the non-persistence group as compared to the persistence group for outpatient rheumatology care (€110.90 [234.56] vs. €20.80 [129.59], p = 0.023), laboratory testing (−€193.99 [195.88] vs. −€241.3 [217.88], p = 0.025), other non-biological drugs (€3849.03 [4046.14] vs. −€10.90 [157.42], p < 0.001) and total costs (€3268.90 [4821.55] vs. −€334.67 (905.44), p < 0.001). Treatment persistence with SC-TNFis may be associated with HCRU cost savings in naïve IMRD patients. Prescribing SC-TNFis with the best long-term persistence is beneficial.

Real-Life Retention Rates and Reasons for Switching of Biological DMARDs in Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, and Ankylosing Spondylitis

Aims: To determine real-life biologic/targeted synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (b/tsDMARD) retention rates in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and ankylosing spondylitis (AS), explore reasons for switching and to compare results to previously published data.

Methods: Time-to-event analysis for mean treatment duration (estimated as the Restricted Mean Survival Time), b/tsDMARD failure, and b/tsDMARDs switching was performed for 230 patients (n = 147 RA, 46 PsA, 37 AS) who commenced their first b/tsDMARD between 2008 and 2018. Patients were managed in a dedicated “biologics” clinic in a tertiary hospital; the choice of b/tsDMARD was clinician driven based on medical factors and patient preferences. The effect of covariates on switching risk was analysed by a conditional risk-set Cox proportional-hazards model. Treatment retention data was compared to a historical analysis (2002–2008).

Results: The proportions remaining on treatment (retention) were similar, throughout follow-up, for the first, second and third b/tsDMARDs across all patients (p = 0.46). When compared to RA patients, the risk of b/tsDMARD failure was halved in PsA patients [Hazard Ratio (HR) = 0.50], but no different in AS patients (HR = 1.0). The respective restricted mean (95%CI) treatment durations, estimated at 5 years of follow-up, were 3.1 (2.9, 3.4), 4.1 (3.7, 4.6), and 3.3 (2.8, 3.9) years, for RA, PsA, and AS, respectively. Age, gender, disease duration, smoking status and the use of concomitant csDMARDS were not associated with the risk of bDMARD failure. The most common reasons for switching in the first and subsequent years were secondary (n = 62) and primary (n = 35) failure. Comparison with historical data indicated no substantive differences in switching of the first biologic for RA and PsA.

Conclusion: Similar retention rates of the second and third compared to the first b/tsDMARD in RA, PsA, and AS support a strategy of differential b/tsDMARDs use informed by patient presentation. Despite greater availability of b/tsDMARDs with differing mechanisms of action, retention rates of the first b/tsDMARD remain similar to previous years.

Higher Medication Adherence and Lower Opioid Use Among Individuals with Autoimmune Disease Enrolled in an Adalimumab Patient Support Program in the United States

Introduction

Opioid use is prevalent among patients with autoimmune conditions, despite not being a recommended treatment. Tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (anti-TNF) therapy is an effective treatment for these autoimmune conditions, and patient support programs (PSPs) have been developed to help patients manage their prescribed treatments. This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of PSPs on anti-TNF adherence and opioid use using data on adalimumab (ADA), an anti-TNF.

Methods

The study used insurance claims data linked to ADA PSP data on patients who initiated ADA after 01/2015, were commercially insured, and had data coverage for 1 year before and after (i.e., during the follow-up period) ADA initiation. Patients with opioid use in the 3 months before ADA initiation were excluded. PSP patients enrolled in the PSP within 30 days of ADA initiation and had 2+ PSP nurse ambassador interactions; non-PSP patients had no PSP engagement. ADA adherence [proportion of days covered (PDC), persistence], opioid initiation, 2+ opioid fills, and opioid supply during follow-up were compared between cohorts using regression models that controlled for patient characteristics.

Results

Results were obtained for 1952 PSP and 728 non-PSP patients. PSP patients demonstrated better adherence to ADA than non-PSP patients, including higher PDC and persistence (all p < 0.001). PSP patients were 13% less likely to initiate opioids and 26% less likely to have at least 2 fills than non-PSP patients, and they had fewer days of opioid supply (all p < 0.01).

Conclusions

This study supports the benefit of PSPs and suggests that the ADA PSP is associated with improved adherence and potentially lower opioid use.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40744-021-00309-9.

Adherence to subcutaneous biological therapies in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases and inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review

Aim: To assess adherence to subcutaneous biologicals in adults with inflammatory rheumatic diseases or inflammatory bowel disease and evaluate factors possibly associated with adherence. Materials & methods: Systematic searches were conducted of main databases from January 2000 to June 2019. Results: 41 articles (32 full papers and nine abstracts) were included in the review. Among studies which used a medication possession ratio threshold of ≥80% as the end point, adherence varied from 28.8 to 89.4%. Possible predictors of adherence were older age, professional or family member support, belief in medication necessity, lower concerns about medication and monthly versus weekly administration. Conclusion: Considerable variability in adherence rates across published studies reflects study heterogeneity and the absence of a 'gold standard' to measure adherence.

Development and Validation of Adherence Score for Subcutaneous Biologic Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs

Background: The biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) are currently incorporated as part of the pharmacotherapy management of inflammatory arthritis (IA). Adherence to bDMARDs is crucial to ensure treatment success in IA. However, most of the recent studies evaluated adherence level in patients using subcutaneous injections of bDMARDs utilized the indirect methods adapted from adherence assessment for oral medication. Aim: This study aimed to develop a questionnaire to assess adherence to the self-injectable subcutaneous bDMARDs. Methods: The development of the Subcutaneous bDMARDs Adherence Score (SCADS) involved evaluation of content validity. Literature reviews provide the basis for domain identification and item formation. Four experts evaluated the instrument by using a four-point ordinal scale with a rubric scoring on relevance, importance, and clarity of each item in measuring the overarching construct. The item-level content validity index (I-CVI) and the scale-level content validity index (S-CVI) were calculated. The factor structure and internal consistency reliability of SCADS were estimated using principal component analysis (PCA) and Cronbach's alpha, respectively. Results: Both S-CVI/UA (universal agreement) and the average item-level content validity index (S-CVI/Ave) (average) for the entire instrument showed excellent criteria with a value of >0.90. Cronbach's alpha coefficient value for SCADS was 0.707 indicating good internal consistency. All items showed corrected item-total correlation coefficients above 0.244. Questionnaire items with a factor loading of 0.30 or above were considered in the final factor solution. The factor analysis resulted in 3-factor solutions, which corresponded to 66.62% of the total variance. Conclusion: The SCADS is a consistent and reliable instrument for evaluating adherence among IA patients using the subcutaneous bDMARDs. It is simple to use, yet comprehensive but still requiring further clinical and international validation.

Adherence to biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in adult patients with rheumatic diseases

INTRODUCTION

The emergence of biologics has revolutionized the management of refractory rheumatic diseases (RD) by improving clinical outcomes. Unfortunately, the impact of non-adherence to the emerging therapy can limit their potential benefit. The objective of our study was to evaluate biologics' adherence in Tunisian patients with RD and to assess the determinants of non-adherence.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study involving patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA) treated with bDMARDs (biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs) for at least three months. Socio-demographic, clinical and biological data were collected. Biologic adherence was assessed using the compliance questionnaire for rheumatology (CQR).

RESULTS

One hundred patients with RD (45 RA and 55 SpA) were collected. Non-adherence to bDMARDs was found in 70% of cases. In univariate analysis, non-adherence to bDMARDs was statistically related to the absence of coxitis (P=0.003), to a low ASDAS-CRP (ankylosing spondylitis disease activity score) prior to the initiation of the bDMARDs (P=0.01), to a rate of administration of bDMARDs less than one injection per month (P=0.01), to the subcutaneous delivery route (P=0.02) as well as to non-adherence to csDMARDs (conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs) (P=0.001). In multivariate analysis, the predictors of non-adherence were the absence of coxitis (OR=6.01; IC 95% [1.88-19.12]; P=0.002], and a rate of administration of bDMARDs less than one injection per month (OR=8.79; IC 95% [2.13-36.22]; P=0.003).

CONCLUSION

This work has revealed the low rate of adherence to biological treatments in Tunisian patient with RD. Predictors of poor adherence were the absence of coxitis and a rate of administration of bDMARDs less than one injection per month. Detection of these factors could help us to adapt our strategies to improve adherence that are essentially based on therapeutic education program.

Disease-Modifying Therapy Adherence and Associated Factors in a National Sample of Medicare Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

OBJECTIVES

Disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) reduce relapse rates and disability progression for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). Although 25% to 30% of all US patients with MS are Medicare beneficiaries, limited information exists on this population. This is the first study using national Medicare data to (1) describe characteristics of patients with MS using DMTs, (2) estimate adherence to DMTs over a 1-year and 3-year follow-up, and (3) examine factors associated with DMT adherence.

METHODS

This retrospective claims analysis used 2011-2014 100% Medicare files. Monthly adherence to MS DMTs was defined as the proportion of days covered ≥0.80 with any DMT in each month for 1-year (n = 36 593) and 3-year (n = 17 599) follow-up samples of MS DMT users. Generalized estimating equation logistic regressions were used to estimate factors associated with adherence to DMTs.

RESULTS

Over 90% of patients were eligible for Medicare owing to disability, and about three-quarters qualified for low-income subsidies. A downward trend in DMT adherence was observed over time in both samples. Monthly adherence dropped significantly between December of the prior year to January of the following year (from 76% to 65% in the 1-year follow-up sample and similar drops seen across all years in the 3-year follow-up sample). Multivariable regressions indicated characteristics such as being low-income, having a disability, and having high patient out-of-pocket DMT costs associated with poor adherence to DMTs.

CONCLUSION

Our study provides important insights into the characteristics and DMT adherence of Medicare patients with MS and highlights the need for interventions and policies mitigating barriers to adherence in this population.

Perceptions of patients with rheumatic diseases treated with subcutaneous biologicals on their level of information: RHEU-LIFE Survey

OBJECTIVE

To investigate, in Spanish patients with rheumatic diseases treated with subcutaneous biological drugs, their sources of information, which sources they consider most relevant, and their satisfaction with the information received in the hospital.

METHODS

Rheumatologists from 50 hospitals handed out an anonymous survey to 20 consecutive patients with rheumatoid arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis or psoriatic arthritis treated with subcutaneous biologicals. The survey was developed ad hoc by 4 rheumatologists and 3 patients, and included questions with closed-ended responses on sources of information and satisfaction.

RESULTS

The survey was handed-out to 1,000 patients, 592 of whom completed it (response rate: 59.2%). The rheumatologist was mentioned as the most important source of information (75%), followed by the primary care physician, nurses, and electronic resources; 45.2% received oral and written information about the biological, 46.1% oral only, and 6.0% written only; 8.7% stated that they had not been taught to inject the biological. The percentage of patients satisfied with the information received was high (87.2%), although the satisfaction was lower in relation to safety. If the information came from the rheumatologist, the satisfaction was higher (89.6%) than when coming from other sources (59.6%; P<.001). Satisfaction was also higher if the information was provided orally and written (92.8%) than if provided only orally (86.1%; P=.013); 45.2% reported having sought information from sources outside the hospital.

CONCLUSIONS

The rheumatologist is key in transmitting satisfactory information on biological treatment to patients. He or she must also act as a guide, since a high percentage of patients seeks information in other different sources.

Incidence of inpatient venous thromboembolism in treated patients with rheumatoid arthritis and the association with switching biologic or targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in the real-world setting

Objectives

To assess incidence rates (IRs) of VTE in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on different DMARDs and DMARD switchers.

Methods

Adults with RA on a DMARD between 2007 and 2017 were studied in a US claims database. Conventional synthetic DMARD (csDMARD) users, first biologic/targeted synthetic DMARD (b/tsDMARD) users and b/tsDMARD switchers (from a b/tsDMARD to another b/tsDMARD) were followed for inpatient VTE (pulmonary embolism (PE)/deep vein thrombosis (DVT)). Crude and adjusted IR and 95% CIs of VTE were estimated. HRs for VTE were estimated via Cox regression. VTE risk was also evaluated by number of switches between b/tsDMARDs and in patients without a VTE history.

Results

The age and sex standardised IR (95% CI) of VTE (per 100 person-years) was 0.86 (0.70 to 1.03), 0.60 (0.52 to 0.68) and 0.58 (0.51 to 0.65) for b/tsDMARD switchers, first b/tsDMARD users and csDMARD users, respectively. After adjustment, b/tsDMARD switchers had an increased risk of VTE, compared with csDMARD users, HRadj (95% CI) being 1.36 (1.16 to 1.58), 1.36 (1.13 to 1.63) and 1.47 (1.18 to 1.83) for VTE, DVT and PE, respectively. Compared with first b/tsDMARD users, the HRadj (95% CI) for VTE was 1.35 (1.15 to 1.60) for first b/tsDMARD switchers and 1.48 (1.19 to 1.85) for second b/tsDMARD switchers.

Conclusions

In RA, b/tsDMARD switchers have a higher VTE risk compared with csDMARD users and first b/tsDMARD users. Switching b/tsDMARDs may be a proxy for higher disease severity or poorly controlled RA and an important confounder to consider in obtaining unbiased estimates of VTE risk in observational RA safety studies.

Retrospective Claims Analysis Indirectly Comparing Medication Adherence and Persistence Between Intravenous Biologics and Oral Small-Molecule Therapies in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Introduction

Patients’ adherence to and persistence on treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can vary, depending on type and distribution of disease and treatment modality. We aim to identify differences in adherence and persistence with treatments with different administration routes (intravenous vs oral) in IBD.

Methods

A retrospective cohort analysis of a claims database of adult patients diagnosed with IBD or rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who began treatment with vedolizumab, tofacitinib, or infliximab from January 2015 through December 2015. Adherence evaluated by proportion of days covered (PDC) and cumulative days with gaps at least 20% beyond expected interval (CG20) using multivariable generalized linear equation models. Persistence assessed as time to treatment discontinuation over 12 months of follow-up using Kaplan–Meier estimates and Cox proportional hazards models; proportion of persistent patients determined via multivariable logistic regression. Indirect comparisons across disease states adjusted using infliximab data.

Results

After indirect adjustment by disease, mean PDC difference was significantly higher (difference of 4.7%; P = 0.0376) and mean CG20 was lower (difference of 15 days; P = 0.0646) but not statistically significant in vedolizumab/IBD than tofacitinib/RA.

Conclusion

We describe a novel adjustment method for interdisease treatment differences using infliximab treatment patterns to bridge differences between IBD and RA. After adjustment, adherence was higher with infusions than oral medications, which may affect outcomes. Indirect comparisons between vedolizumab and tofacitinib are not generalizable and should be confirmed in tofacitinib-treated IBD patients.

Funding

Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.

Electronic Supplementary Material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s12325-019-01037-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Drug retention of biological DMARD in rheumatoid arthritis patients: the role of baseline characteristics and disease evolution

Objective

To examine the association of the evolution in physician-reported and patient-reported outcomes with decision to stop biological DMARDs (bDMARDs) in RA. The contribution of baseline characteristics is well established, but little is known about how the disease evolution influences the decision to discontinue therapy.

Methods

RA patients who initiated a bDMARD treatment from 2009 and with information on date of visit were pooled from seven European RA registers. Each outcome was divided into baseline assessments (capturing the inter-individual differences at drug initiation) and changes from baseline at subsequent visits (capturing the individual evolution). Cox regression models were used to examine their association with drug discontinuation, adjusting for baseline patient and co-therapy characteristics and stratifying by register and calendar year of drug initiation.

Results

A total of 25 077 patients initiated a bDMARDs (18 507 a TNF-inhibitor, 3863 tocilizumab and 2707 abatacept) contributing an amount of 46 456.8 patient-years. Overall, drug discontinuation was most strongly associated with a poor evolution of the DAS28, with a hazard ratio of 1.34 (95% CI 1.29, 1.40), followed by its baseline value. A change of Physician Global Assessment was the next strongest predictor of discontinuation, then the Patient Global Assessment.

Conclusions

The decision to discontinue treatments appears to be mostly influenced by DAS28 and particularly its evolution over time, followed by Physician Global Assessment evolution, suggesting that the decision to stop bDMARDs relies more on the physician’s than on the patient’s global assessment.

Adherence, Persistence, and Expenditures for High-Cost Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in Rheumatoid Arthritis: An Exploratory Study

BACKGROUND

Drugs for inflammatory conditions are one of the highest expenditure therapeutic classes for health plans. Published literature for adherence, persistence, nonadherence risk factors, and health care costs are incomplete for newer biologic agents.

OBJECTIVES

To (a) examine differences in adherence, persistence, switch patterns, and health care costs among high-cost specialty anti-inflammatory medications and (b) suggest risk factors for nonadherence in rheumatoid arthritis.

METHODS

In this exploratory retrospective cohort study, we used medical and pharmacy claims from 1.2 million enrollees in commercial health plans administrated by Premera Blue Cross, the largest not-for-profit health plan in the Pacific Northwest. We included members with rheumatoid arthritis who used the following high-cost disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs: abatacept, adalimumab, anakinra, apremilast, certolizumab, etanercept, golimumab, infliximab, rituximab, sekukinumab, tocilizumab, tofacitinib, and ustekinumab. Adherence was calculated via medication possession ratio. Persistence was calculated as the amount of days between the initial fill and final fill plus days supply. Switch rates for adalimumab and etanercept were calculated as the percentage of members who switched to another target drug during the observation period. Direct medical costs (total health care costs) and health care costs excluding specialty agents were calculated using the net allowable amount per claim for the duration of each therapy. Adherence, persistence, and costs of care were also examined for concurrent methotrexate use for the most used target drugs.

RESULTS

The most commonly used drugs were abatacept (n = 47), adalimumab (n = 226), and etanercept (n = 252). Nonadherence in certain subgroups was associated with higher mean monthly health care costs, excluding specialty agents (etanercept cohort: +$1,063 for nonmethotrexate users; +$492 for nonadherent methotrexate users), but adherence was associated with higher total health care costs (+$883 for etanercept). Relative to specialty pharmacies, retail was associated with 9% higher nonadherence. Concurrent methotrexate use was associated with higher persistence (+307 and +192 days with adalimumab and etanercept). The most commonly switched-to drug after adalimumab/etanercept was abatacept (n = 39).

CONCLUSIONS

This exploratory study raises signals suggesting that retail pharmacies may be associated with higher nonadherence; nonadherence may be associated with increased health care costs, excluding specialty agents; adherence may increase total health care costs; and methotrexate use may be associated with increased persistence. Future research should confirm these findings.

DISCLOSURES

This research was part of an internship awarded to Khilfeh by the AMCP Foundation/Pfizer Summer Internship Program and funded by Pfizer. Gross is an employee of Pfizer. The other authors have nothing to disclose. A portion of this research was presented at the AMCP Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy Annual Meeting as a continuing education session entitled "The Evolving Role of Real-World Data in Health Care Decision Making" on March 29, 2017, in Denver, CO, and at AMCP Nexus 2016 as a poster on October 3-6, 2016, in National Harbor, MD.

Persistence and adherence to the new oral disease-modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis: A population-based study

OBJECTIVE

To examine persistence and adherence to the oral disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for multiple sclerosis (MS).

METHODS

Population-based health administrative databases in British Columbia, Canada were accessed to identify all individuals filling an oral DMT prescription for MS (fingolimod, dimethyl fumarate, teriflunomide) between January 2011 and December 2015. Predictors of persistence and adherence at 6 and 12 months were assessed using logistic regression, with estimates expressed as adjusted odds ratios (aORs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

Of 858 individuals with ≥6 months of follow-up, the mean age at first prescription was 43.0 (SD:10.3) years; 74.2% were women. By 6 months 11.0% (94/858) had discontinued their initial oral DMT; by 12 months the proportion was 19.6% (113/577). Over 6 and 12 months, among those persisting with their oral DMT, 82.5% (630/764) and 81.7% (379/464) exhibited optimal adherence (proportion of days covered ≥80%). Age, sex, calendar year and comorbidity were not associated with persistence or adherence. Individuals with higher neighbourhood-level socioeconomic status had higher odds of discontinuation within 6 months (aOR = 2.2; 95%CI:1.3-3.7). Those who had previously used another DMT had higher odds of optimal adherence (6 months aOR = 2.4;95%CI:1.6-3.6, and 12 months aOR = 2.4; 95%CI:1.5-3.9).

CONCLUSION

Approximately 1 in 10 individuals discontinued their first oral DMT within 6 months, and 1 in 5 did so within one year. However, among those who did continue drug, a high proportion (>80%) exhibited optimal adherence. Predictors of persistence or adherence with immediate practical application were lacking; this highlights the challenges in optimizing drug therapy.

Adherence to etanercept therapy in rheumatoid arthritis patients during 3 years of follow-up

Objectives

To determine the percentage non-adherence to etanercept in patients with rheumatoid arthritis during three years of follow-up.

Methods

During study visits in this prospective cohort study, blood samples were taken to determine serum etanercept concentrations using ELISA and patients were asked if they had missed an etanercept dose, at which date and for what reason. Non-adherence was defined as serum etanercept concentration <0.1 μg/mL and no valid reason to miss the prescribed etanercept dose.

Results

In total, 292 consecutive patients treated with etanercept were included. Most patients had a valid reason to miss their etanercept dose (25/37). In total 12 out of 292 patients (4.1%, 95% confidence interval 2.2–7.2) were non-adherent during the 3 year period. In a small percentage of patients (3.4%, 95% confidence interval 0.8–10.4) who failed to respond to etanercept therapy, according to their rheumatologist, this was associated with inadequate exposure to etanercept and thus non-adherence.

Conclusion

In this study, adherence to etanercept therapy was measured using serum etanercept concentration. In most patients an absent etanercept concentration was due to a medical reason. Furthermore, the majority of patients were adherent to etanercept therapy and had adequate drug exposure. In total, only 12 out of 292 patients (4.1%) were non-adherent during 3 years of follow-up. These findings highlight that only a small minority of patients are non-adherent to etanercept treatment, especially compared to adherence rates of other drugs. However, physicians should be aware that in patients failing to respond to treatment, non-adherence is a possible cause.

A Targeted Literature Review Examining Biologic Therapy Compliance and Persistence in Chronic Inflammatory Diseases to Identify the Associated Unmet Needs, Driving Factors, and Consequences

Abstract

Chronic inflammatory diseases (CIDs) represent a substantial clinical and economic burden to patients, providers, payers and society overall. Biologics, such as tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi), have emerged as effective treatment options for patients with CIDs. However, the therapeutic potential of biologics is not always achieved in clinical practice, with results from studies examining the use of biologics in real-world settings suggesting lower levels of treatment effectiveness compared with clinical trial results. Using a targeted approach, this literature review demonstrates that compliance and persistence with biologic therapy is suboptimal and that this has implications for both clinical outcomes and treatment costs. The review identified a variety of predictors of treatment compliance and persistence, including increased age, female gender, presence of comorbidities, increased disease activity, longer disease duration, smoking, increased body mass index, higher biologic treatment dose, higher treatment cost and lower health-related quality-of-life scores. Patients often cited factors associated with medication delivery as a reason for non-compliance and non-persistence, and device-related improvements to treatment delivery were associated with higher rates of compliance and persistence. The articles identified in this review provide insights that have the potential to help guide the development of new solutions to improve disease management and optimize treatment regimens. This has the potential to benefit patients’ health by improving clinical outcomes and to reduce the burden to society by limiting the economic impact of patients’ disease.

Funding

UCB Pharma.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s12325-018-0759-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Impact of Cost-Sharing Increases on Continuity of Specialty Drug Use: A Quasi-Experimental Study

OBJECTIVE

To examine the impact of cost-sharing increases on continuity of specialty drug use in Medicare beneficiaries with multiple sclerosis (MS) or rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING

Five percent Medicare claims data (2007-2010).

STUDY DESIGN

Quasi-experimental study examining changes in specialty drug use among a group of Medicare Part D beneficiaries without low-income subsidies (non-LIS) as they transitioned from a 5 percent cost-sharing preperiod to a ≥25 percent cost-sharing postperiod, as compared to changes among a disease-matched contemporaneous control group of patients eligible for full low-income subsidies (LIS), who faced minor cost sharing (≤$6.30 copayment) in both the pre- and postperiods.

DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS

Key variables were extracted from Medicare data.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Relative to the LIS group, the non-LIS group had a greater increase in incidence of 30-day continuous gaps in any Part D treatment from the lower cost-sharing period to the higher cost-sharing period (MS, absolute increase = 10.1 percent, OR = 1.61, 95% CI 1.19-2.17; RA, absolute increase = 21.9 percent, OR = 2.75, 95% CI 2.15-3.51). The increase in Part D treatment gaps was not offset by increased Part B specialty drug use.

CONCLUSIONS

Cost-sharing increases due to specialty tier-level cost sharing were associated with interruptions in MS and RA specialty drug treatments.

Medication adherence and persistence in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis: a systematic literature review

PURPOSE

Proper adherence and persistence to medications are crucial for better quality of life and improved outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriasis (PsO), and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). We systematically describe current adherence and persistence patterns for RA, PsO, and PsA, with a focus on biologics and identifying factors associated with adherence and persistence.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Using various databases, a systematic literature review of US-based studies published from 2000 to 2015 on medication adherence and persistence to biologics and associated factors was conducted among patients with RA, PsO, and PsA.

RESULTS

Using the medication possession ratio or the percentage of days covered >80%, RA and PsO adherence rates for etanercept, adalimumab, and infliximab ranged from 16% to 73%, 21% to 70%, and 38% to 81%, respectively. Using the criteria of a ≥45-day gap, RA persistence rates for etanercept, adalimumab, and infliximab ranged from 46% to 89%, 42% to 94%, and 41% to 76%, respectively. In PsO, persistence rates for etanercept and adalimumab ranged from 34% to 50% and 50% to 62%, respectively. Similar persistence rates were observed in PsA. Experienced biologics users showed better adherence and persistence. Younger age, female gender, higher out-of-pocket costs, greater disease severity, and more comorbidities were associated with lower adherence and persistence rates. Qualitative surveys revealed that nonpersistence was partly due to perceived ineffectiveness and safety/tolerability concerns.

CONCLUSION

Biologic adherence and persistence rates in RA, PsO, and PsA in the United States were low, with significant opportunity for improvement. Various factors - including decrease in disease severity; reduction of comorbidities; lower out-of-pocket costs; refilling at specialty pharmacies; and awareness of drug effectiveness, safety, and tolerability - can inform targeted approaches to improve these rates.

Adherence and dosing interval of subcutaneous antitumour necrosis factor biologics among patients with inflammatory arthritis: analysis from a Canadian administrative database

OBJECTIVES

Subcutaneous tumour necrosis factor alpha TNFαinhibitors (SC-TNFis) such as golimumab (GLM), adalimumab (ADA), etanercept (ETA) and certolizumab pegol (CZP) have been used for many years for the treatment of inflammatory arthritis. Non-adherence to therapy is an important modifiable factor that may compromise patient outcomes. The aim of this analysis was to compare adherence and dosing interval of SC-TNFis in the treatment of people with inflammatory arthritis.

DESIGN

We used the IMS Brogan database combining both Canadian private and public drug plan databases of Ontario and Quebec. Target drugs included SC-TNFis for inflammatory arthritis. The index period was from 1 January 2010 to 30 June 2012 and patients were followed for 24 months through 30 June 2014. Inclusion criteria were adult patients newly prescribed a SC-TNFis with at least three prescriptions and retained on therapy at 24 months.Dosing regimens as per the product monographs were used to compare actual versus expected drug utilisation. The mean possession ratio was used as a marker for adherence. Patients who scored >80% were considered adherent. The average days between units was estimated by taking the total days on therapy and divided by the number of units the patient received.

RESULTS

4035 patients were included: 683 (16.9%), 1400 (34.7%), 1765 (43.7%) and 187 (4.6%) were treated with GLM, ADA, ETA and CZP, respectively. The proportion of adherent patients in the GLM cohort (n=595/683, 87%, p<0.0001) was greater compared with ADA (n=1044/1400, 75%), ETA (n=1285/1765, 73%) and CZP-treated patients (132/187, 71%). In addition, the number of patients receiving biological drug at a shorter dosing interval was similar between cohorts, and was 5%, 6%, 12% and 4% in GLM (≤26 days), ADA (≤12 days), ETA (≤6 days) and CZP-treated patients (≤12 days), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

In this real-life administrative database, GLM had better adherence compared with other SC-TNFis.

Discontinuation of Biologic Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Analysis from the Corrona RA Registry

Introduction

Despite the availability of multiple effective therapies, discontinuation/switching of treatment is common for many patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study was designed to examine initiation of biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) within the Consortium of Rheumatology Researchers of North America (Corrona) RA Registry, and characterize reasons for discontinuation.

Methods

Inclusion criteria were: Corrona-registered adults (≥18 years) with RA (2002–2011); age of RA onset: ≥16 years; ≥6 months’ follow-up after initiation of first/subsequent bDMARD. Patients receiving both tumor necrosis factor antagonists and non-TNF antagonists were included. Treatment discontinuation was defined as first report of stopping initial therapy or initiation of new bDMARD at/between visits, using a follow-up physician questionnaire.

Results

Overall, 6209 patients met inclusion criteria and 80.7% received TNF antagonists. Median time to discontinuation/change of therapy was 25.1 months (26.5 months with TNF antagonists vs. 20.5 months with non-TNF antagonists; log-rank p < 0.0001); 82.2, 67.3, and 51.1% of patients remained on therapy at 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively. Reasons for discontinuation were captured for 49.2% of patients, including: loss of efficacy (35.8%); physician preference (27.8%); safety (20.1%); patient preference (17.9%); and no access to treatment (9.0%). Baseline factors with greatest correlation to discontinuation were modified Health Assessment Questionnaire scores, patient-reported anxiety/depression, initiation of bDMARD treatment in 2007–2010 versus 2002–2003, and Clinical Disease Activity Index scores.

Conclusions

Almost one-third of patients in the US discontinue currently available bDMARD therapies for RA by 12 months and almost half by 24 months, most commonly due to loss of efficacy.

Funding

Corrona LLC and MedImmune.

Drug survival of second biological DMARD therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a retrospective non-interventional cohort analysis

Background

Since persistence to first biological disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) is far from ideal in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, many do receive a second and/or third bDMARD treatment. However, little is known about treatment persistence of the second-line bDMARD and it is specifically unknown whether the mode of action of such a treatment is associated with different persistence rates. We aimed to assess discontinuation-, re-initiation- or continuation-rates of a 2nd bDMARD therapy as well as switching-rates to a third biological DMARD (3rd bDMARD) therapy in RA patients.

Method

Analysis was based on German claims data (2010–2013). Patients were included if they had received at least one prescription for an anti-TNF and at least one follow-up prescription of a 2nd bDMARD different from the first anti-TNF. Patient follow-up started on the date of the first prescription for the 2nd bDMARD and lasted for 12 months or until a patient’s death.

Results

2667 RA patients received at least one anti-TNF prescription. Of these, 451 patients received a second bDMARD (340 anti-TNF, mean age 52.6 years; 111 non-anti-TNF, mean age 55.9 years).

During the follow-up, 28.8% vs. 11.7% of the 2nd anti-TNF vs. non-anti-TNF patients (p < 0.001) switched to a 3rd bDMARD; 14.1% vs. 19.8% (p = 0.179) discontinued without re-start; 3.8% vs.1.8% (p = 0.387) re-started and 53.5 vs. 66.7% (p < 0.050) continued therapy. Patients in the non-anti-TNF group demonstrated longer drug survival (295 days) than patients in the anti-TNF group (264 days; p = 0.016).

Independent variables associated with earlier discontinuation (including re-start) or switch were prescription of an anti-TNF as 2nd bDMARD (HR = 1.512) and a higher comorbidity level (CCI, HR = 1.112), whereas previous painkiller medication (HR = 0.629) was associated with later discontinuation or switch.

Conclusions

Only 56.8% of RA patients continued 2nd bDMARD treatment after 12 months; 60% if re-start was included. Non-anti-TNF patients had a higher probability of continuing 2nd bDMARD therapy.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12891-017-1684-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A systematic review of the barriers affecting medication adherence in patients with rheumatic diseases

Medication adherence is a crucial part in the management of rheumatic diseases, especially with many such patients requiring long-term medications. In this paper, we aim to systematically review the literature for the factors associated with medication adherence in the rheumatic patient population. We carried out a systematic literature search using PubMed^®, PsychInfo^® and Embase ^® with relevant keywords and employed the PRISMA^® criteria. We included English peer-reviewed articles that studied the factors affecting medication adherence in patients with rheumatic diseases, which were assessed by two independent reviewers. Hand searches were conducted and relevant factors were extracted and classified using the World Health Organization (WHO)'s five dimensions of medication adherence. A simple diagram was drawn to summarise the factors extracted. 1977 articles were identified and reviewed and 90 articles were found to be relevant. A total of 17 factors and 38 sub-factors were identified and categorized based on the WHO's five dimensions of medication adherence. A hand model for medication adherence was developed to succinctly summarise these dimension to remind clinicians the importance of medication adherence in daily practice. We conducted a systematic review on the various factors including patient, therapy, condition, health system and socioeconomic-related factors that affected medication adherence in rheumatic patients. We found 17 factors and 38 sub-factors that affected medication adherence in this population. This systematic review can facilitate future focused research in unexplored dimensions.

Influence of route of administration/drug formulation and other factors on adherence to treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (pain related) and dyslipidemia (non-pain related)

OBJECTIVES

A comprehensive review was performed to investigate the effect of route of administration on medication adherence and persistence in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to compare adherence/persistence with oral medications between RA and a non-painful disease (dyslipidemia).

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Comprehensive database searches were performed to identify studies investigating medication adherence and/or persistence in adults with RA receiving conventional synthetic or biologic agents. Similar searches were performed for studies of patients with dyslipidemia receiving statins. Studies had to be published after 1998 in English and involve ≥6 months' follow up.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Adherence and persistence were compared between the different routes of drug administration in RA, and between the two diseases for oral medications.

RESULTS

A total of 35 and 28 papers underwent data extraction for RA and dyslipidemia, respectively. Within the constraints of the analysis, adherence and persistence rates appeared broadly similar for the different routes of drug administration in RA. Adherence to oral medications was also broadly similar across the two diseases, but persistence was lower in dyslipidemia. Poor adherence has clinical consequences in both diseases: greater disease activity and risk of flare in RA, and increased serum cholesterol levels and risk of heart and cerebrovascular disease in dyslipidemia. Over 1-3 years, poor adherence to biologic RA medications led to increased resource use and medical costs but lower total direct costs due to reduced biologic drug costs. Conversely, poor adherence to dyslipidemia medications resulted in increased total direct costs. In both diseases, adherence improved with patient education/support.

CONCLUSIONS

The route of drug administration and the symptomatic (pain) nature of the disease do not appear to be dominant factors for drug adherence or persistence in RA.

LIMITATION

The wide range of adherence and persistence values and definitions across studies made comparisons between drug formulations and diseases difficult.

Adherence of rheumatoid arthritis patients to biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs: a cross-sectional study

The aims of this study were to evaluate adherence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients to biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs), identify potential risk factors, and analyze the discriminative ability of the Morisky-Green test (MGT) to detect bDMARD nonadherence. One hundred and seventy-eight adult RA patients treated with bDMARDs were included. Adherence was measured using the medication possession ratio (MPR) of the previous 6 months. An MPR >80% was considered good adherence. Patient demographics, clinical characteristics, and MGT scores were assessed through a standardized clinical interview at the cross-sectional date. One-hundred and twelve patients (63%) were taking subcutaneous bDMARDs, while 66 (37%) were taking intravenous drugs. One-hundred fifty-eight (88.8%) showed good adherence to bDMARDs, while 79 (61.2%) also correctly took concomitant conventional synthetic DMARDs (csDMARDs). In logistic regression models, nonadherence to bDMARDs was associated with higher disease activity [odds ratio (OR) 1.45; 95% CI, 1.03-2.03; p = 0.032] and subcutaneous route (OR 3.70; 95% CI 1.02-13.48; p = 0.040). MGT accurately identified an MPR >80% of bDMARDs in 76.9% of the patients. A sensitivity of 78%, specificity of 70%, positive predictive value of 95.3%, negative predictive value of 28.5%, positive likelihood ratio (LR) of 2.6, and negative LR of 0.3% were obtained. Adherence may be good for bDMARDs but is low for csDMARDs. Low adherence for bDMARDs is associated with poorer disease control during the past 6 months and use of subcutaneous route. These findings should alert doctors to consider possible low adherence before declaring treatment failure.

Medication adherence and persistence over time with self-administered TNF-alpha inhibitors among young adult, middle-aged, and older patients with rheumatologic conditions

OBJECTIVE

Self-injectable TNF inhibitors are increasingly used early in the chronic treatment of moderate to severe rheumatologic conditions. We estimated medication adherence/persistence over time following initiation in young adult and older adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis or psoriatic arthritis.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients aged 18+ years newly initiating etanercept, adalimumab, certolizumab pegol, or golimumab using the Truven Health MarketScan Database between 2009 and 2013. Pharmacy dispensing data were used to calculate 12-month medication possession ratios (MPR) and determine adherence (MPR ≥ 0.80) for up to 3 years after starting therapy. Persistence over each 12-month interval was defined as not having a ≥92-day treatment gap. Multivariable generalized estimating equation models were used to calculate odds ratios (OR) and robust 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations between patient characteristics and repeated adherence/persistence measures over time.

RESULTS

Among 53,477 new users, 14% were young adults (18-34 years), 49% middle-aged (35-54 years), and 37% older adults (55+ years). Overall, 37% of patients were adherent and 83% were persistent in the first year of therapy. The lowest adherence (17%) and persistence (70%) were observed among young adult patients by Year +3. Compared to older adults, middle-aged (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.71-0.76) and young adults (OR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.47-0.53) were less likely to be adherent. Higher Charlson comorbidity scores, hospitalizations, and emergency department visits were associated with non-adherence/non-persistence.

CONCLUSIONS

We observed low adherence to self-administered TNF inhibitors but most patients remained persistent over time. Further efforts to improve adherence in young adults and patients with greater comorbidity are needed.

Determinants of biological drug survival in rheumatoid arthritis: evidence from a Hungarian rheumatology center over 8 years of retrospective data

Objective

To compare drug survival of biological therapies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and analyze the determinants of discontinuation probabilities and switches to other biological therapies.

Materials and methods

Consecutive RA patients initiating first biological treatment in one rheumatology center between 2006 and 2013 were included. Log-rank test was used to analyze the differences between the survival curves of different biological drugs. Cox regression was applied to analyze the discontinuation due to inefficacy, the occurrence of adverse events, or to any reasons.

Results

A total of 540 patients were included in the analysis. The most frequently used first-line biological treatments were infliximab (N=176, 33%), adalimumab (N=150, 28%), and etanercept (N=132, 24%). Discontinuation of first tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) treatment was observed for 347 (64%) patients, due to inefficacy (n=209, 60%), adverse events (n=103, 30%), and other reasons (n=35, 10%). Drug survival rates for TNF-α and non-TNF-α therapies were significantly different, and were in favor of non-TNF-α therapies. Every additional number of treatment significantly increased the risk of inefficacy by 27% (p<0.001) and of adverse events by 35% (p=0.002). After the discontinuation of the initial TNF-α treatment, switching to rituximab and tocilizumab was associated with significantly longer treatment duration than switching to a second TNF-α. The non-TNF-α therapies resulted in significantly longer treatment duration, due to both less adverse events and longer maintenance of effectiveness.

Conclusion

Non-TNF-α therapies resulted in significantly longer treatment duration, and lost their effectiveness later. Increase in the number of switches significantly increased the risk of discontinuation of any biological therapy.

Impact of adherence to biological agents on health care resource utilization for patients over the age of 65 years with rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVE

Poor adherence to therapy increases the patient and societal burden and complexity of chronic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In the past 15 years, biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) have revolutionized the treatment of RA. However, little data are available on the impact of adherence to biologics on health care resources. The objective of the study was to determine the long-term health care resource utilization patterns of RA patients who were adherent to biologic DMARD therapy compared to RA patients who were non-adherent to biologic DMARD therapy in an Ontario population and to determine factors influencing adherence.

METHODS

Patients were identified from the Ontario RA Database that contains all RA patients in Ontario, Canada, identified since 1991. The study population included RA patients, aged 65+ years, with a prescription for a biologic DMARD between 2003 and 2013. Exclusion criteria included diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease, psoriatic arthritis or psoriasis in the 5 years prior to the index date and discontinuation of biologic DMARD, defined as no subsequent prescription during the 12 months after the index date. Adherence was defined as a medication possession ratio of ≥0.8 measured as the proportion of days for which a patient had biologic treatment(s) over a defined follow-up period. Adherent patients were matched to non-adherent patients by propensity score matching.

RESULTS

A total of 4,666 RA patients were identified, of whom 2,749 were deemed adherent and 1,917 non-adherent. The age (standard deviation) was 69.9 (5.46) years and 75% were female. Relative rates for resource use (physician visits, emergency visits, hospitalization, home care and rehabilitation) for the matched cohort were significantly lower (P⩽0.0001) in adherent patients. Non-adherent patients' use of oral prednisone (67%) was significantly higher (P⩽0.001) than that of the adherent cohort (56%).

CONCLUSION

RA patients adherent to biologic therapy have lower health care resource use and lower steroid use compared to non-adherent patients.

Primary Nonadherence, Associated Clinical Outcomes, and Health Care Resource Use Among Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Prescribed Treatment with Injectable Biologic Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs

BACKGROUND

Adherence to biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is often suboptimal in routine clinical practice. Low or nonadherence can reduce the effectiveness of bDMARD therapies.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate filling of newly prescribed initial bDMARDs for the treatment of RA and evaluate potential for characterizing treatment decisions and patient outcomes.

METHODS

In this retrospective cohort analysis, patients aged ≥ 18 years with an RA diagnosis (ICD-9-CM code 714.xx) were selected from a de-identified database of clinical information from the Electronic Health Record (EHR; Humedica) database linked to health care claims (Optum) from commercial and Medicare Advantage health plans (2007-2013). The first biologic prescription date in EHR was the index date. Patients were categorized as filling the prescription within 30 days (early fillers), 31-180 days (late fillers), or not at all within 180 days (nonfillers) of index date.

RESULTS

Of 373 patients meeting inclusion criteria, 170 (45.6%), 59 (15.8%), and 144 (38.6%) were categorized as early fillers, late fillers, and nonfillers, respectively. Most prescriptions were written or ordered for tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (88.7%). Compared with late and nonfillers, early fillers were younger and more likely to be female, with higher pain scores (among those reporting pain scores) and RA severity scores pre-index, and filled more prescriptions for any reason pre-index. More nonfillers (66.0%) were Medicare patients than early (17.7%) and late (35.6%) fillers. During days 0-30 post-index, conventional synthetic DMARD use was greatest for early fillers (45.9%) and lowest among nonfillers (24.3%); however, during days 31-180 post-index, the proportion was highest for late fillers (61.0%) and lowest for nonfillers (35.4%). Of early fillers, 12.9% did not fill/receive a bDMARD after 30 days. Only 23 patients had pre/post-index pain scores, and 47 patients had a rationale for stopping or not filling a bDMARD. In patients with pharmacy and medical coverage for 180 days post-index, early fillers had greater RA-related pharmacy and medical resource use and costs than late and nonfillers combined.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings confirm a high rate of primary nonadherence to bDMARDs among patients with RA.

Evaluation of Real-World Experience with Tofacitinib Compared with Adalimumab, Etanercept, and Abatacept in RA Patients with 1 Previous Biologic DMARD: Data from a U.S. Administrative Claims Database

BACKGROUND

Real-world data comparing tofacitinib with biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) are limited.

OBJECTIVE

To compare characteristics, treatment patterns, and costs of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) receiving tofacitinib versus the most common bDMARDs (adalimumab [ADA], etanercept [ETN], and abatacept [ABA]) following a single bDMARD in a U.S. administrative claims database.

METHODS

This study was a retrospective cohort analysis of patients aged ≥ 18 years with an RA diagnosis (ICD-9-CM codes 714.0x-714.4x; 714.81) and 1 previous bDMARD filling ≥ 1 tofacitinib or bDMARD claim in the Truven MarketScan Commercial and Medicare Supplemental claims databases (November 1, 2012-October 31, 2014). Monotherapy was defined as absence of conventional synthetic DMARDs within 90 days post-index. Persistence was evaluated using a 60-day gap. Adherence was assessed using proportion of days covered (PDC). RA-related total, pharmacy, and medical costs were evaluated in the 12-month pre- and post-index periods. Treatment patterns and costs were adjusted using linear models including a common set of clinically relevant variables of interest (e.g., previous RA treatments), which were assessed separately using t-tests and chi-squared tests.

RESULTS

Overall, 392 patients initiated tofacitinib; 178 patients initiated ADA; 118 patients initiated ETN; and 191 patients initiated ABA. Tofacitinib patients were older versus ADA patients (P = 0.0153) and had a lower proportion of Medicare supplemental patients versus ABA patients (P = 0.0095). Twelve-month pre-index bDMARD use was greater in tofacitinib patients (77.6%) versus bDMARD cohorts (47.6%-59.6%). Tofacitinib patients had greater 12-month pre-index RA-related total costs versus bDMARD cohorts (all P < 0.0001) and greatest index use of monotherapy (P = 0.0080 vs. ABA). A similar (all P > 0.10) proportion of patients were persistent with tofacitinib (42.6%) versus ADA (37.6%), ETN (42.4%), and ABA (43.5%). Mean PDC was 0.55 for tofacitinib versus 0.57 (ADA), 0.59 (ETN), and 0.44 (ABA; P = 0.0003). Adjusted analyses generated similar findings to the unadjusted treatment patterns. Tofacitinib had lower adjusted 12-month post-index mean RA-related total costs ($23,568) versus ADA ($29,278; P < 0.0001), ETN ($26,885; P = 0.0248), and ABA ($30,477; P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, tofacitinib was more commonly used as monotherapy and yielded at least comparable persistence and adherence with lower adjusted mean RA-related total costs versus ADA, ETN, and ABA. Further analysis is warranted given the greater 12-month pre-index bDMARD use and RA-related costs for tofacitinib versus bDMARDs.

DISCLOSURES

This study was sponsored by Pfizer. Harnett, Gerber, Gruben, Koenig, and Chen are employees and shareholders of Pfizer. Some data reported in this manuscript have been previously presented at the Academy of Managed Care Nexus 2015; Orlando, Florida; October 26-29, 2015, and was submitted in abstract form to the European League Against Rheumatism Congress; London, United Kingdom; June 8-11, 2016. All authors were involved in the conception and design of this study. Harnett and Gruben were involved in data collection and analysis. All authors interpreted the data, critically reviewed and revised the manuscript, and read and approved the final manuscript.

Comparing Biologic Cost Per Treated Patient Across Indications Among Adult US Managed Care Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

The relative cost of biologics in the treatment of autoimmune disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis, and ankylosing spondylitis, is a key consideration for managed care payers.

OBJECTIVES

Our objective was to estimate biologic costs and treatment patterns in US managed care patients with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis, and/or ankylosing spondylitis.

METHODS

This retrospective study used administrative claims data from the HealthCore Integrated Research Database (HIRD^SM) for adults with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis, and/or ankylosing spondylitis who received abatacept, adalimumab, certolizumab, etanercept, golimumab, infliximab, rituximab, tocilizumab, or ustekinumab between 1 July 2009 and 31 January 2013. Biologic costs (based on drug utilization) and treatment patterns (discontinued, restarted after a >45-day gap, switched to another biologic, or persisted without switching or stopping) were analyzed for the first year post-index.

RESULTS

Most of the 24,460 patients received etanercept (48 %), adalimumab (29 %), or infliximab (12 %) as the index biologic. On the index date, 44 % were new to biologic therapy and 56 % were continuing biologic therapy. Biologic cost per treated patient for 1 year was as follows: etanercept $US24,859, adalimumab $US26,537, and infliximab $US26,468. Treatment patterns across indications for etanercept, adalimumab, and infliximab were as follows: persistent (52, 49, 67 %), restarted (23, 21, 12 %), switched (12, 13, 11 %), and discontinued (14, 18, 10 %).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings from a large health benefits organization in the USA are similar to those of several previous cost analyses assessing different populations, which demonstrates the external validity of the results from the previous studies, both over time and across large populations.

Medication adherence in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: why do patients not take what we prescribe?

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease which results in extensive articular and extra-articular morbidity and increased mortality from cardiovascular disease. Despite an increasing range of non-biological and biological disease-modifying agents, poor patient adherence with medication is a significant barrier to effective control of the inflammation associated with RA. This review seeks to identify factors that affect patient adherence with medication, examine the effectiveness of interventions to address this issue and offer practical suggestions to improve medication adherence. The impact of health literacy on medication adherence and the novel role of musculoskeletal ultrasound as an educational intervention will also be discussed.

Claims Data Analysis of Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitor Treatment Dosing Among Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review of Methods

Background

With tumor necrosis factor inhibitors, changes of dosing, switching between drugs, insufficient adherence, and persistence are frequent in rheumatoid arthritis. Because this is often associated with decreased efficiency and increased costs, dosage analyses based on claims data are of increasing interest for healthcare providers and payers. Nevertheless, no standardized methods exist to ensure high-quality research.

Objective

In this review, we compare and discuss applied methods in claims data-based dosage analyses of tumor necrosis factor inhibitor prescriptions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Methods

A systematic review was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement. The dosage analysis methods performed within the selected studies were classified into switching, persistence, adherence, and dosage-change analyses, and were then compared and finally discussed.

Results

A total of 45 studies were found to be relevant. In most studies, a change in dose or persistence was evaluated, followed by switching and adherence analyses. Analyses of changed dose exhibit the most extensive variation of methods. We divided them into three principal methods, where a specified reference dose is compared with (1) the last dose, (2) any dose, or (3) all doses.

Conclusion

The systematic review identified a high variation of methods. Our results may be helpful for choosing appropriate methods in future studies. The results also demonstrate the need for evidence-based recommendations of methods used in claims data research.

[Non-adherence to biological therapy in patients with rheumatic diseases in the Brazilian Unified National Health System in Minas Gerais State, Brazil]

This study examined non-adherence to biological therapy with adalimumab and etanercept and associated factors in patients with rheumatic diseases treated under the Brazilian Unified National Health System in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. A non-concurrent cohort study was performed from pharmacy records of adult patients that had recently initiated treatment. Patient non-adherence was measured by proportion of days covered (PDC), and non-adherent patients were defined as PDC < 0.8. A total of 1,150 patients were included, with the following breakdown: 64.3% rheumatoid arthritis, 8.5% psoriatic arthritis , and 27.2% ankylosing spondylitis. In total, 33.5% of patients were non-adherent. Factors such as younger age (19-39 years), female gender, diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis , and initial treatment with etanercept were associated with low adherence. The results indicate a high prevalence of non-adherence, which can lead to worse health outcomes and increase healthcare use and costs.

Medication Nonadherence Is Associated With Increased Subsequent Acute Care Utilization Among Medicaid Beneficiaries With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

OBJECTIVE

We examined whether nonadherence to hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) or immunosuppressive medications (ISMs) was associated with higher subsequent acute care utilization among Medicaid beneficiaries with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

METHODS

We utilized US Medicaid data from 2000-2006 to identify adults ages 18-64 years with SLE who were new users of HCQ or ISMs. We defined the index date as receipt of HCQ or ISMs without use in the prior 6 months. We measured adherence using the medication possession ratio (MPR), the proportion of days covered by total days' supply dispensed, for the 1-year post-index date. Our outcomes were all-cause and SLE-related emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations in the subsequent year. We used multivariable Poisson regression models to examine the association between nonadherence (MPR <80%) and acute care utilization, adjusting for sociodemographics and comorbidities.

RESULTS

We identified 9,600 HCQ new users and 3,829 ISM new users with SLE. The mean ± SD MPR for HCQ was 47.8% ± 30.3% and for ISMs was 42.7% ± 30.7%. Seventy-nine percent of HCQ users and 83% of ISM users were nonadherent (MPR <80%). In multivariable models, among HCQ users, the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of ED visits was 1.55 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.43-1.69) and the IRR of hospitalizations was 1.37 (95% CI 1.25-1.50), comparing nonadherers to adherers. For ISM users, the IRR of ED visits was 1.64 (95% CI 1.42-1.89) and of hospitalizations was 1.67 (95% CI 1.41-1.96) for nonadherers versus adherers.

CONCLUSION

In this cohort, nonadherence to HCQ and ISMs was common and was associated with significantly higher subsequent acute care utilization.

Adherence and persistence to drug therapies for multiple sclerosis: A population-based study

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to estimate the prevalence and predictors of optimal adherence and persistence to the disease-modifying therapies (DMT) for multiple sclerosis (MS) in 3 Canadian provinces.

METHODS

We used population-based administrative databases in British Columbia (BC), Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. All individuals receiving DMT (interferon-B-1b, interferon-B-1a, and glatiramer acetate) between 1-January-1996 and 31-December-2011 (BC), 31-March-2014 (Saskatchewan), or 31-March-2012 (Manitoba) were included. One-year adherence was estimated using the proportion of days covered (PDC). Persistence was defined as time to DMT discontinuation. Regression models were used to assess predictors of adherence and persistence; results were pooled using random effects meta-analysis.

RESULTS

4830 individuals were included. When results were combined, an estimated 76.4% (95% CI: 69.1-82.4%) of subjects exhibited optimal adherence (PDC ≥80%). Median time to discontinuation of the initial DMT was 1.9 years (95% CI: 1.6-2.1) in Manitoba, 2.8 years (95% CI: 2.5-3.0) in BC, and 4.0 years (95% CI: 3.5-4.6) in Saskatchewan. Age, sex and socioeconomic status were not associated with adherence or persistence. Individuals who had ≥4 physician visits during the year prior to the first DMT dispensation were more likely to exhibit optimal adherence compared to those with fewer (0-3) physician visits.

CONCLUSIONS

We observed adherence that is higher than what has been reported for other chronic diseases, and other non-population-based MS cohorts. Closer examination as to why adherence appears to be relatively better in MS and how adherence influences disease outcomes could contribute to our understanding of MS, and prove useful in the management of other chronic diseases.

Biologic therapy adherence, discontinuation, switching, and restarting among patients with psoriasis in the US Medicare population

BACKGROUND

Studies indicate adherence to biologics among patients with psoriasis is low, yet little is known about their use in the Medicare population.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to investigate real-world utilization patterns in a national sample of Medicare beneficiaries with psoriasis initiating infliximab, etanercept, adalimumab, or ustekinumab.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective claims analysis using 2009 through 2012 100% Medicare Chronic Condition Data Warehouse Part A, B, and D files, with 12-month follow-up after index prescription. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were used to examine rates of and factors associated with biologic adherence, discontinuation, switching, and restarting.

RESULTS

We examined 2707 patients initiating adalimumab (40.0%), etanercept (37.9%), infliximab (11.7%), and ustekinumab (10.3%); during 12-month follow-up, 38% were adherent and 46% discontinued treatment, with 8% switching to another biologic and 9% later restarting biologic treatment. Being female and being ineligible for low-income subsidies were associated with increased odds of decreased adherence. Outcomes varied by index biologic.

LIMITATIONS

Patient-reported reasons for nonadherence or gaps in treatment are unavailable in claims data.

CONCLUSION

Medicare patients initiating biologics for psoriasis had low adherence and high discontinuation rates. Further investigation into reasons for inconsistent utilization, including exploration of patient and provider decision-making and barriers to more consistent treatment, is needed.