Longterm Retention Rate and Risk Factor for Discontinuation Due to Insufficient Efficacy and Adverse Events in Japanese Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Receiving Etanercept Therapy

Low-Dose Glucocorticoids in Older Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: What Does the Evidence Say?

The short-term use of glucocorticoids (GCs) in combination with methotrexate was recommended for the initial treatment of rheumatoid arthritis by the European League Against Rheumatism. A randomized controlled trial (GLORIA) showed that treatment of older patients with low-dose GCs in combination with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs was more efficacious than disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs plus placebo in terms of disease activity control and prevention of joint destruction. Glucocorticoid-related adverse events were likely to increase relative to placebo, with no increase in serious adverse events and fractures over 2 years. Observational studies showed an increased risk of serious infections, cardiovascular events, and fractures associated with long-term continuation of GCs in older patients, but the adverse events may be associated not only with GC toxicity but also with poor disease control of rheumatoid arthritis. In the GLORIA study, low-dose GCs during 2 years could be tapered off safely, but many patients had a flare of disease activity after discontinuation of GCs. In the two representative large Japanese registries (IORRA and NinJa), the proportion of patients using GCs and non-tumor necrosis factor inhibitors increased with increasing age at disease onset, with a decreasing trend in methotrexate use. The proportion of patients in remission with GC treatment also increased with increasing age at onset. These suggested that it is not easy to discontinue GCs in older patients. If GCs cannot be terminated in the short term, it may be acceptable to use GCs to control disease activity for up to 2 years.

Effectiveness and safety of treat-to-target strategy for methotrexate-naïve rheumatoid arthritis patients >75 years of age

Objectives

To identify differences in effectiveness and safety of a treat-to-target (T2T) strategy comparing late-onset MTX-naïve RA patients (LORA) ≥75 or <75 years of age.

Methods

Treatment was adjusted to target low disease activity with conventional synthetic DMARDs followed by biologic DMARDs (bDMARDs) in LORA ≥75 years (n = 98, mean age 80.0 years) and LORA <75 years (n = 99) with moderate-high disease activity. Achievement of Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) remission at week 156 by non-responder imputation analysis was evaluated as a primary outcome.

Results

LORA ≥75 years had more comorbidities than LORA <75 years, but SDAI and ACPA positivity were similar at baseline. Of the LORA ≥75 years, 70.4% started MTX and 34.1% and 37.1% received a bDMARD at week 52 and 156, respectively (very similar to the LORA <75 years). Glucocorticoid use was more frequent in the LORA ≥75 years than in the LORA <75 years. Comorbidities/adverse events more frequently contributed to the reasons for non-adherence to T2T in the LORA ≥75 than in the LORA <75. At week 156, 32.7% of the LORA ≥75 and 66.7% of the LORA <75 achieved SDAI remission (P < 0.001). The cumulative incidence of serious adverse events (SAEs) over 156 weeks was 42.8% in the LORA ≥75 and 22.1% in the LORA <75. Multivariable analysis indicated an increased risk of SDAI non-remission at week 156 in the LORA ≥75 [odds ratio 2.82 (95% CI 1.29. 6.14)] after adjusting for comorbidities at baseline, non-adherence to T2T and SAEs.

Conclusions

It was more difficult to achieve remission in the LORA ≥75 patients than in the LORA <75 patients due to both poor treatment response and safety issues.

Factors associated with impaired physical function in elderly rheumatoid arthritis patients who had achieved low disease activity

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to investigate factors associated with impaired physical function [defined as Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI) >0.5] of old-old (aged 75-84 years) patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

METHODS

Data from 15,185 rheumatoid arthritis patients in the National Database of Rheumatic Disease in Japan were extracted from 2017 to 2018. We enrolled 3708 patients aged 55-84 years in Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) ≤11 and Steinbrocker Stage I/II. Factors associated with HAQ-DI >0.5 were analysed by multivariable logistic regression.

RESULTS

About half of the old-old patients received methotrexate, which was lower than middle-aged (55-64 years) and young-old patients (65-74 years). The proportion of glucocorticoids in the old-old patients was highest among the three groups, and biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs were similarly used. The prevalence of HAQ-DI >0.5 was significantly higher in old-old patients with low disease activity than in those with remission. The same was true in the middle-aged and young-old patients. Multivariable analysis showed age, higher SDAI, glucocorticoid use, and methotrexate nonuse were significantly associated with HAQ-DI >0.5 in the old-old patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Achieving SDAI remission was an ideal goal for old-old patients in terms of physical function. Glucocorticoids and a low proportion of methotrexate use may influence the physical function of old-old patients.

A Real-World Claims Database Study Assessing Long-Term Persistence with Golimumab Treatment in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis in Japan

INTRODUCTION

The persistence of golimumab (GLM) treatment in Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been evaluated previously, but evidence of long-term real-world use is lacking. This study assessed the long-term persistence of GLM use, its influencing factors, and impact of prior medications in patients with RA in actual clinical practice in Japan.

METHODS

This is a retrospective cohort study of patients with RA using data from a hospital insurance claims database in Japan. The identified patients were stratified as only GLM treatment (naïve), had one biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (bDMARD)/Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor treatment prior to GLM [switch (1)] and had at least two bDMARDs/JAK prior to GLM treatment [switch (≥ 2)]. Patient characteristics were evaluated using descriptive statistics. Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox regression methods were used to analyze GLM persistence at 1, 3, 5, and 7 years and the associated factors. Treatment differences were compared using a log-rank test.

RESULTS

GLM persistence rate in the naïve group was 58.8%, 32.1%, 21.4%, and 11.4% at 1, 3, 5, and 7 years, respectively. Overall persistence rates in the naïve group were higher than in switch groups. Higher GLM persistence was observed among patients aged 61-75 years and those concomitantly using methotrexate (MTX). Also, women were less likely to discontinue treatment compared to men. Higher Charlson Comorbidity Index score, initial GLM dose of 100 mg, and switch from bDMARDs/JAK inhibitor were related to a lower persistence rate. As a prior medication, infliximab showed the longest persistence for subsequent GLM, and using this as a reference, tocilizumab, sarilumab, and tofacitinib subgroups had significantly shorter persistence, respectively (p = 0.001, 0.025, 0.041).

CONCLUSION

This study presents the long-term real-world results for persistence of GLM and its potential determinants. These most recent and long-term observations demonstrated that GLM and other bDMARDs continue to benefit patients with RA in Japan.

The long-term persistence of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors in patients with moderate to severe immune-mediated rheumatic diseases: A nation-wide, population-based real-world study

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to compare the long-term persistence between different tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors (TNFis) with immune-mediated rheumatic diseases (IMRD). This study can potentially provide insights into the real-world evidence regarding safety and effectiveness of TNFi treatment in a Chinese population.

METHODS

We enrolled newly diagnosed IMRD patients in this active comparator, retrospective cohort study by using National Taiwan insurance claim datasets. The drug survivals of first-line TNFi agents, including etanercept, golimumab, and adalimumab were compared. Propensity score matching was conducted to control the confounding effect from the observed covariates. The cumulative proportion of discontinuation was calculated over 5 years. The multiple-variable regression and propensity score analysis was used for confounding adjustment.

RESULTS

After propensity score matching, there were 2267 patients identified in each etanercept, golimumab, and adalimumab group. We observed the 5-year cumulative proportion of discontinuation was 52.80%, 45.85%, and 56.86% in etanercept, golimumab, and adalimumab, respectively. Compared with golimumab, increase of 31% (95% CI: 20-43) and 38% (95% CI: 26-50) risk of discontinuation were observed in etanercept and adalimumab. The factors including female gender, increasing age, long hospital stays, without co-medication with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or methotrexate were associated were discontinuation of first-line TNFi treatment.

CONCLUSION

Golimumab had better drug survival than etanercept or adalimumab over 5 years of observation in Asian IMRD patients. Gender, age, longer hospital stays, concomitant use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs were associated with survival with TNFis.

Systematic review for the treatment of older rheumatoid arthritis patients informing the 2020 update of the Japan College of Rheumatology clinical practice guidelines for the management of rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVES

To provide an evidence base for clinical practice guidelines (CPG) for the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in older adults.

METHODS

PubMed, Cochrane library, and Japan Centra Revuo Medicina databases were searched for articles published between 1990 and 2019. Quality of the evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system, with some modifications.

RESULTS

Among 702 identified articles, there were 5 post-hoc analyses of randomized controlled trials and 10 observational studies. Meta-analysis of the former yielded a mean difference of the van der Heijde-modified total Sharp score of -2.79 (95% confidence interval [CI] - 3.74 to -1.84) for treatment with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors. The risk ratio (RR) for the American College of Rheumatology 50% response rate, and for serious adverse events was 2.83 (95%CI 1.90-4.21) and 1.32 (95%CI 0.53-3.31), respectively, for Janus kinase inhibitors. Meta-analysis of the observational studies yielded an RR for disease activity score-28 remission and serious infections of 0.76 (95%CI 0.64-0.91) and 1.92 (95%CI 1.31-2.81) for older-versus-younger patients receiving biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, respectively.

CONCLUSION

This systematic review provides the necessary evidence for developing CPG for the management of RA in older adults.

Drug Survival of Biologic Therapy in Elderly Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Compared With Nonelderly Patients: Results From the Korean College of Rheumatology Biologics Registry

OBJECTIVE

Although the proportion of elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is increasing, the persistency of biologic therapy in elderly patients requires additional investigation. This study evaluated the drug survival of biologic therapy and associated factors in elderly compared with nonelderly patients.

METHODS

This longitudinal observational study included RA patients who were enrolled in the Korean College of Rheumatology Biologics Registry (NCT01965132, started from January 1, 2013) between 2013 and 2015. We compared the retention rate of biologic therapy between elderly (age ≥70 years) and nonelderly (age <70 years) patients, and investigated the causes and predictors of biologic withdrawal in both groups.

RESULTS

Of 682 patients, 122 were aged 70 years or older. The retention rate of biologic therapy at 24 months was 57.8% and 46.5% in nonelderly and elderly patients, respectively (p = 0.027). Biologic withdrawal due to adverse events and inefficacy within 24 months was not significantly different between the 2 groups, although adverse events were more common in elderly patients (20.6% vs 12.8%, p = 0.360). Drug withdrawal due to patient refusal was more common in elderly patients (9.8% vs 1.8%, p < 0.001). In elderly patients, biologic withdrawal was associated with current smoking and older age at disease onset, whereas the use of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors, nonuse of methotrexate, and combination of corticosteroid were important in nonelderly patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Elderly RA patients are more likely to discontinue biologic agents within 24 months. To increase the retention rate of biologic therapy, rheumatologists should consider patient characteristics before and during biologic therapy.

Treatment strategies for elderly-onset rheumatoid arthritis in the new era

Elderly-onset rheumatoid arthritis (EORA) is characterized by acute onset and clinical features of high disease activity. Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody (ACPA) positivity or the presence of bone erosions predicts a radiological joint destruction of EORA, but ACPA-negative EORA with a polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) phenotype may also present. Biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) and Janus kinase inhibitors were beneficial both in older and in younger patients in terms of risk-benefit balance. Implementation of a treat-to-target strategy could improve EORA outcomes, but older patients have more age-related comorbidities and interstitial lung disease than younger patients. Baseline comorbidities, more frequent methotrexate dose-dependent adverse events, serious infections, cardiovascular disease events, and malignancy all influence the choice of treatment and the treatment goals for older patients. Based on articles reviewed here, it is suggested that current treatment strategies for younger patients are also useful for ACPA-positive EORA and for ACPA-negative EORA with bone erosion. Differential diagnosis of ACPA-negative EORA without erosive arthritis and PMR with peripheral manifestations is challenging, and the treatment strategy of patients presenting with this overlap phenotype remained unclear. An appropriate treatment strategy for all patients with EORA still needs to be developed.

Disease-modifying drug retention rate according to patient age in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis: analysis of the ESPOIR cohort

Physicians are sometimes hesitant to use disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as they are deemed too fragile, although there are no sufficient scientific evidence. We aimed to compare DMARD treatment retention in early RA patients from the ESPOIR cohort, according to age upon inclusion. Overall, treatment retention was evaluated as the percentage of patients whose DMARDs were not stopped, with stratification by age group: < 50, 50-64, and > 65 years. Survival curves were measured using the Kaplan-Meier method. Of the entire ESPOIR cohort (n = 813), 7% were > 65 years old. Methotrexate (MTX) was used by 521 patients, and was the sole DMARD for 198 patients. MTX treatment retention appeared better in patients > 65 years old compared to < 50 years old [HR 0.45 (0.25; 0.81); p = 0.008, n = 195/198] with adjustment on sex, smoking, positive anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies, positive rheumatoid factor, body mass index, changes in DAS28 and corticosteroid treatment. The proportion of patients using etanercept (n = 111), and this drug's retention rate, did not differ according to patient age. The proportion of patients treated with adalimumab (n = 104) was significantly higher in patients < 50 years old (p = 0.003), and treatment retention was marginally better among younger patients [HR 1.68 (0.88; 3.22), p = 0.12]. Within the ESPOIR cohort, DMARD retention did not appear to differ according to age-except for better retention of MTX treatment in patients 50-64 years old, and of adalimumab in patients < 50 years old.

Clinical effectiveness and long-term retention of abatacept in elderly rheumatoid arthritis patients: Results from a multicenter registry system

Objective: To study the clinical effectiveness and long-term retention rate of abatacept (ABA) in elderly rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in daily clinical practice.Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed using data from a multicenter registry. Our study population comprised 500 consecutive RA patients treated with ABA. We compared clinical effectiveness and ABA retention rates between the Young (≤62 years), Middle (62 to 72 years), and Elderly (≥72 years) groups. We also performed separate examinations to identify predictive factors for ABA discontinuation in those with versus those without concomitant methotrexate (MTX) treatment.Results: Mean age was 52.7 years in the Young group, 67.7 years in the Middle group, and 78.1 years in the Elderly group. No significant group-dependent differences were found in mean DAS28 score, categorical distribution of DAS28, and EULAR response rate across the 52 weeks. The ABA retention rates at three years as determined by the Kaplan-Meier method were similar in all three groups. Patient age was not a significant predictor of ABA discontinuation due to adverse events in patients with concomitant MTX; however, it was found to be a significant predictor for those who did not use MTX (Cox hazard model).Conclusion: ABA would be a reasonable treatment option for elderly RA patients from the viewpoints of both clinical effectiveness and long-term retention. However, physicians should watch carefully for any serious adverse reactions in elderly RA patients with intolerance to MTX.

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

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.

Efficacy and safety of biological agents in the older rheumatoid arthritis patients compared to Young: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Biologic anti-rheumatic drugs are used with less frequency among older patients compared to young patients. This population is less represented in studies performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this drugs. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of biological agents between the older RA patients compared to young.

METHODS

A comprehensive, systematic search was conducted in major indexing databases using key terms for RA and each biological agent. The review process was completed by 2 investigators. Both randomized controlled trials and observational studies of at least 6-month duration conducted in adult RA patients were included. Outcomes of interest were clinical efficacy and safety. Effect-estimates were pooled using random-effects modeling if 4 or more studies used the same scale and time-frame for measuring outcomes.

RESULTS

24 studies (16 focusing on anti-TNF agents) representing 63,705 patients (24% were older) were included. Older RA patients had worse baseline RA disease activity, longer disease duration at the time of enrollment in the trial (14.4 ± 3.6 vs. 10.9 ± 3.6 years; p < 0.001) and higher steroid use (73.2 vs. 64.7%, p < 0.001) than younger. 5 out of 6 studies assessing anti-TNF agents showed worse efficacy outcomes in older patients. The pooled OR of infection and ADRs with anti-TNF agents in older compared to young RA patients was OR 1.59 (95% CI: 1.45-1.76) and 1.40 (95% CI: 1.23-1.61) respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Older patients had worse safety and efficacy with biological agents but also had worse baseline disease activity. There was significant heterogeneity in reporting outcomes and very limited studies in biological agents other than anti-TNF drugs.

Longterm Retention Rate and Risk Factors for Adalimumab Discontinuation Due To Efficacy and Safety in Japanese Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: An Observational Cohort Study

Objective.

To evaluate the rates of retention and discontinuation of adalimumab (ADA) due to efficacy and safety in Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods.

All patients with RA (n = 476) who were treated with ADA in the Tsurumai Biologics Communication Registry were enrolled.

Results.

The retention rate of ADA was 46% at 5 years. When focusing on insufficient efficacy, previous biologics use and high baseline disease activity were significant risk factors for up to 1 year. Methotrexate (MTX) use was a significantly low risk factor after 1 year of treatment.

Conclusion.

Concomitant MTX contributes to the longterm efficacy of ADA therapy.

Treatment Patterns, Direct Cost of Biologics, and Direct Medical Costs for Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: A Real-world Analysis of Nationwide Japanese Claims Data

PURPOSE

The aims of this article were to characterize the patterns of treating rheumatoid arthritis with biologics and to evaluate costs using claims data from the Japan Medical Data Center Co, Ltd.

METHODS

Patients aged 16 to <75 years who were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and prescribed adalimumab (ADA), etanercept (ETN), infliximab (IFX), tocilizumab (TCZ), abatacept, certolizumab, or golimumab between January 2005 and August 2014 were included. For the cross-sectional analysis, the annual costs of ETN, IFX, ADA, and TCZ from 2009 to 2013 were assessed. For the longitudinal analysis, patients prescribed these biologics as the first line of biologics, from January 2005 to August 2014, were included. The cost of biologic treatment over 1, 2, and 3 years (including prescription of subsequent biologics) and direct medical costs (including treatment of comorbidities) were compared between groups. Discontinuation and switching rates in each group were estimated, and multivariate analyses were conducted to estimate an adjusted hazard ratio of discontinuation and switching rates among each group. The dose of each first-line biologic treatment until discontinuation was analyzed to calculate relative dose intensity.

FINDINGS

The cross-sectional annual biologic costs of ETN, IFX, ADA, and TCZ were ~$8000 (2009 and 2013), $13,000 (2009) and $15,000 (2013), $10,000 (2009) and $11,000 (2013), and $9000 (2009) and $8000 (2013), respectively. In longitudinal analyses (n = 764), 276 (36%) initiated ETN; 242 (32%), IFX; 147 (19%), ADA; and 99 (13%), TCZ. The 1-year cumulative annual biologic costs per patient from the initial prescription of ETN, IFX, ADA, and TCZ as the first-line biologic treatment were ~$11,000, $19,000, $16,000, and $12,000. The corresponding direct medical costs over 1 year from the initial prescription were ~$17,000, $26,000, $22,000, and $22,000. Costs remained greatest in the IFX-initiation group at year 3. The discontinuation rates at 36 months with ETN, IFX, ADA, and TCZ were 37.7%, 52.3%, 55.8%, and 39.5%; the switching rates were 12.5%, 27.1%, 31.0%, and 16.7%. The mean (95% CI) relative dose intensities until discontinuation of ETN 25 mg, ETN 50 mg, IFX, ADA, and TCZ were 1.02 (0.95-1.10), 0.82 (0.79-0.85), 1.16 (1.12-1.20), 0.95 (0.90-0.99), and 0.96 (0.93-1.00).

IMPLICATIONS

Considered costs and discontinuation and switching event rates were lowest with ETN versus IFX, ADA, or TCZ used as the first-line biologic. Despite limitations, these findings imply clinical cost-reductive benefits of ETN as the first-line biologic treatment option for rheumatoid arthritis in Japan.

Abatacept monotherapy compared with abatacept plus disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs in rheumatoid arthritis patients: data from the ORA registry

BACKGROUND

Retention rate, efficacy, and safety of abatacept (ABA) was compared between patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving ABA as monotherapy to those in combination ABA + conventional synthetic DMARD (csDMARD).

METHODS

The patients were obtained from the ORA registry. The retention rate was analysed in two ways: (1) therapeutic strategy retention, in which the addition of a csDMARD was considered to indicate failure of the monotherapy strategy; and (2) ABA retention, which was assessed by the discontinuation of ABA regardless of other treatment modifications. Efficacy and safety were compared between ABA initiated alone and ABA used in combination with a csDMARD.

RESULTS

The retention rate at month 6 (M6) was evaluated in 569 patients. A significant difference was identified in the retention rate between the ABA monotherapy strategy and the ABA + csDMARD strategy (58.5 % [110/188] vs. 68 % [258/381], respectively, p = 0.031). No significant difference was identified in the ABA retention rate initiated either as a monotherapy or in combination with csDMARDs (75 % [142/188] vs. 76 % [291/381], respectively, p = 0.824). Data regarding ABA efficacy were available for 444 patients. There was no significant difference in the responder proportion after 6 months of treatment between ABA monotherapy and ABA + csDMARD treatment (60.2 % [88/146] vs. 60 % [179/298], respectively, p = 0.967).

CONCLUSIONS

This "real-life" analysis, which is relevant for bedside practice, emphasised the satisfactory efficacy and safety of ABA used in monotherapy, which provides an acceptable alternative when csDMARDs are undesirable.

Persistence with biologic agents for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in Japan

BACKGROUND

To assess persistence rates of biologic agents for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in Japan.

METHODS

Based on Japanese claims data of 16,214 patients between 2012 and 2014, 6-, 12-, and 18-month persistence rates of different biologic agents were calculated. Determinants of persistence were assessed by means of a multivariate Cox proportional hazard model controlling for age, sex, and comorbidities. A sensitivity analysis was performed with different definitions of persistence and parametric survival analysis.

RESULTS

Overall persistence rates in Japan are high and reach 86% after 1 year in the entire sample. The persistence rate for the biologic-naïve subpopulation is above 95%. Persistence is higher for older patients (hazard ratio 0.60 [95% confidence interval 0.40-0.91] for >75 years compared to ≤60 years) and lower for patients with a high comorbidity score (hazard ratio 1.33; 95% confidence interval 1.03-1.70 for Charlson Comorbidity Index score 3-5 compared to ≤2). We found a high variation of persistence between different drugs.

CONCLUSION

Japanese rheumatoid arthritis patients have a high persistence rate of biologic treatments. However, multiple factors affect the persistence rate of Japanese patients, including age, comorbidities, and patient type. Naïve patients tend to have a higher persistence rate than continuing biologic patients.