Background/Purpose: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease characterized by polyarthritis of small and large joints. RA is the second most common type of autoimmune arthritis. RA treatment has been revolutionized by the development of biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs), which are increasingly used after the introduction of biosimilar products. This study evaluates the association between biologic DMARDs use and the social demographic characteristics of the RA patient population and assesses changes in biologic DMARDs utilization in the RA patient population after biosimilars market entry.

Methods: In this retrospective analysis of Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data from 2010 to 2018, the study population includes RA patients diagnosed using the International Classification of Disease. Logistic regression will be conducted to measure the association between biologic DMARD use and the study population’s social demographic characteristics. Linear regression will also be used to assess changes in biologic DMARDs utilization in the RA patient population after biosimilars market entry.

Results: A total of 1620 patients were diagnosed with RA in 2010-2015, of which 72% of RA patients were females, and 28% were males. Most patients were aged 45-70 years (63.3%) with a mean±SD age of 58.5±15.2 and a range of 6 to 85 years old. RA patients were predominantly white (61.2%) and non-Hispanic (78.7%). Private and public health insurance covered 41% and 52% of the patient population, respectively, and 7% were uninsured. bDMARDs were used by 20% and cDMARDs by 80% of the patients. Methotrexate, among cDMARDs, was the drug more often prescribed. Adalimumab and etanercept, among bDMARDs, had a similar percentage of prescriptions. The results of the regression analyses will be also presented.

Conclusion: Biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs play a crucial role in managing and treating rheumatoid arthritis. Thus, it is essential for clinicians, healthcare providers, and policy-makers to understand the association of the social demographic characteristics of RA patients and the utilization of DMARDs to improve RA patients’ outcomes.

« Back to ACR Convergence 2021

ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/factors-associated-with-the-use-of-biologic-disease-modifying-antirheumatic-drugs-in-patients-with-rheumatoid-arthritis/