Background/Purpose: Golimumab (GLM) has shown its efficacy and safety in various clinical trials. Data from socio- and health economic parameters and costs in daily clinical practice in Germany are rare.

Methods: Descriptive post-hoc analysis of socio- and health-economic parameters of the non-interventional, multicenter, prospective GO-NICE study (n=1,458), compared baseline (BL) to the situation at 24 months (M24) (n=664, 45.5%). To explore the impact of GLM days of sick leave / absenteeism, days of impaired capability / presenteeism, as well as the work productivity, quality of work and normal course of life (in the past 30 days and 6 months) were analyzed. Further, the number of consultations, ambulatory treatments, days of hospitalizations and rehabilitation measures in the previous 6 months. Socioeconomic costs were calculated based on administrative charges and rates or on official statistics.

Results: The mean number of sick leave days in the previous 30 days decreased from baseline (BL) 4.0 to 0.9, and in the past 6 months from BL 13.7 to 3.3 at M24. The improvement was greatest in patients (pts.) with RA. The mean number of days with impaired capability in the previous 30 days decreased from BL 14.9 to 4.5, in the previous 6 months from BL 65.8 to 19.8 at M24. The improvement was greatest in pts. with AS. On a numeric rating scale (range: 0=no limitation to 10=very strong limitation), the pts’ mean ratings on the impact of disease during the previous 6 months on work productivity decreased from BL 5.5 to 2.5 points, on quality of work from 4.8 to 2.2 points, and on the normal course of life from 5.3 to 2.4 points at M24, respectively. The decrease in the mean scores BL to M24 was comparable in pts. with RA, PsA and AS. Intersubject variability was high. On retrospective evaluation for the past 6 months, the percentage of pts. with physician consultations declined from BL to M24: with general practitioners in pts. with PsA -19.7%, AS -17.8%, RA -6.8%. A marked decline was also observed in the percentage of pts. with PsA having dermatologist consultations (-15.0%). The percentage of patients receiving physiotherapy, massages, occupational therapy and packs declined from BL to M24, primarily the application of physiotherapy (-16.9%, -10.9% and -9.1%) in pts. with AS, PsA and RA. The frequency of hospitalizations decreased from 10.4 / 7.6 / 14.0% at BL to 1.7 / 2.2 / 0.8%, and the frequency of rehabilitation decreased from 3.3 / 3.7 / 7.5% at BL to 0.6 / 1.8 / 2.1% at M24 in pts. with RA, PsA, and AS.
Applying a standard cost model, treatment with GLM may generate savings of €2,400 from a public perspective (including costs for absenteeism) and €1,350 from the German health insurance perspective per patient and year.

Conclusion: This evaluation showed remarkable improvements in socio- and health-economic parameters. On GLM treatment, there was a reduction in the days of absenteeism from work, impaired capability / presentism and the days with limited productivity, while the quality of work increased, in a very similar manner across the three indications.
The proportion of pts. requiring physician consultations, days of hospitalization and furthermore the need for rehabilitation measures decreased on GLM 50mg treatment, and savings can be generated.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/golimumab-improves-socio-and-health-economic-parameters-in-patients-with-ra-psa-and-as-real-world-data-from-a-non-interventional-clinical-study-in-germany/