Impact of persistence with tumour necrosis factor inhibitors on healthcare resource utilization and costs in chronic inflammatory joint diseases

Long-term persistence of second-line biologics in psoriatic arthritis patients with prior TNF inhibitor exposure: a nationwide cohort study from the French health insurance database (SNDS)

INTRODUCTION

Tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) agents are most often the first-choice biological treatment for patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). When their discontinuation is needed, a switch to another TNFi or to another therapeutic class may be considered. However, data supporting one approach over another are lacking.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the long-term persistence of classes of biologics in PsA patients with prior TNFi exposure.

METHODS

This nationwide cohort study involved the administrative healthcare database of the French health insurance scheme linked to the hospital discharge database. We included all adults with PsA starting a second-line biological after discontinuing a TNFi during 2015-2020. Persistence was defined as the time from biological initiation to discontinuation and was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Comparison of persistence by biological class was performed with Poisson regression models with time divided into 6-month intervals.

RESULTS

We included 2975 patients: 1580 (53%) initiating a second TNFi, 426 (14%) an interleukin 12/23 inhibitor (IL-12/23i) and 969 (33%) an IL-17 inhibitor (IL-17i). Overall, 1-year and 3-year persistence rates were 42% and 17%, respectively. After adjustment, persistence was associated with treatment with an IL-17i (adjusted relative risk (RR_a) 0.79, 95% CI 0.71 to 0.87) or IL-12/23i (RR_a 0.69, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.79) vs a TNFi, with no significant difference between IL-12/23 and IL-17 inhibitors (RR_a 0.88, 95% CI 0.76 to 1.02).

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, this real-life study shows low persistence for all biologics at 3 years in PsA patients previously exposed to a TNFi. However, persistence was higher with an IL-17i or IL-12/23i than a TNFi.

Health-Care and Societal Costs Associated with Non-Persistence with Subcutaneous TNF-α Inhibitors in the Treatment of Inflammatory Arthritis (IA): A Retrospective Observational Study

Objective

A few studies have suggested that patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA) who remain persistent with subcutaneous TNF-α inhibitors (SC-TNFi) incur lower health care costs than patients who discontinue treatment, whereas data on the impact of non-persistence on indirect costs are largely lacking. Furthermore, existing estimates are based on fixed follow-ups, in relation to treatment initiation, and therefore do not measure costs in direct relation to treatment discontinuation. Therefore, by capturing costs in direct relation to treatment discontinuation, this study aimed to estimate direct and indirect costs associated with non-persistence with SC-TNFis in IA.

Methods

Adult Swedish biologic-naïve IA patients initiating biologic treatment with a SC-TNFi (adalimumab, etanercept, certolizumab or golimumab) between May 6, 2010, and December 31, 2017, were identified in population-based registers with almost complete coverage. IA was defined as a diagnosis of rheumatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis/unspecified spondyloarthritis or psoriatic arthritis. Non-persistent patients were matched on propensity score to patients persistent with treatment by at least an additional 12 months. This enabled comparisons of direct healthcare costs and indirect costs for sick leave and disability pension, respectively, 12 months before and 12 months after treatment discontinuation.

Results

A balanced cohort of 486 matched pairs was generated. The total direct and indirect costs were significantly higher among non-persistent patients already during the 12 months before index ($20,802 [18,335–23,429] vs. $16,600 [14,331–18,696]). However, while non-persistent patients increased their total direct and indirect costs, persistent patients significantly decreased the same, further widening the difference in costs during the 12-month period after index date ($22,161 [19,754–24,556] vs. $13,465 [11,415–15,729]).

Conclusions

Among biologic-naïve Swedish IA patients treated with SC-TNFis, persistent patients incurred about 40% lower aggregated direct and indirect costs compared to non-persistent patients the year following SC-TNFi discontinuation. This highlights the impact of treatment persistence from an economic viewpoint, adding further aspects to the clinical perspective.

Graphical Abstract

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12325-021-01970-w.

Long-term Persistence of First-line Biologics for Patients With Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis in the French Health Insurance Database

Importance

Treatment options for psoriasis (PsO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) have evolved significantly throughout the era of biologics. Clinical trials are inadequate to assess the relative long-term efficacy of biologics and are often insufficient regarding safety.

Objectives

To assess the long-term persistence of different biologic classes to treat PsO and PsA.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This nationwide cohort study involved the administrative health care database of the French health insurance scheme linked to the hospital discharge database. All adults with PsO and PsA who were new users of biologics (not in the year before the index date) from January 1, 2015, to May 31, 2019, were included and followed up through December 31, 2019. Patients hospitalized for PsA in the PsO cohort and for PsO in the PsA cohort in the year before the index date were excluded. Data were analyzed from June 1 to October 31, 2021.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Persistence was defined as the time from biologic therapy initiation to discontinuation and was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Comparison of persistence by biologic class involved using propensity score-weighted Cox proportional hazards regression models and adjustment on specific systemic nonbiologics (time-dependent variables).

Results

A total of 16 892 patients with PsO were included in the analysis (mean [SD] age, 48.5 [13.8] years; 9152 men [54.2%] men). Of these, 10 199 patients (60.4%) started therapy with a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor; 3982 (23.6%), with an interleukin 12 and interleukin 23 (IL-12/23) inhibitor; and 2711 (16.0%), with an interleukin 17 (IL-17) inhibitor. An additional 6531 patients with PsA (mean [SD] age, 49.1 [12.8] years; 3565 [54.6%] women) were included; of these, 4974 (76.2%) started therapy with a TNF inhibitor; 803 (12.3%), with an IL-12/23 inhibitor; and 754 (11.5%), with an IL-17 inhibitor. Overall 3-year persistence rates were 40.9% and 36.2% for PsO and PsA, respectively. After inverse probability of treatment weighting and adjustment, the IL-17 inhibitor was associated with higher persistence compared with the TNF inhibitor for PsO (weighted hazard ratio [HR], 0.78 [95% CI, 0.73-0.83]) and PsA (weighted HR, 0.70 [95% CI, 0.58-0.85]) and compared with the IL-12/23 inhibitor for PsA (weighted HR, 0.69 [95% CI, 0.55-0.87]). No difference between the IL-17 inhibitor and IL-12/23 inhibitor for PsO was noted. The IL-12/23 inhibitor was associated with higher persistence than the TNF inhibitor for PsO (weighted HR, 0.76 [95% CI, 0.72-0.80]), with no difference observed for PsA.

Conclusions and Relevance

The findings of this cohort study suggest that IL-17 inhibitors are associated with higher treatment persistence than the TNF inhibitor for PsO and PsA. Interleukin 17 inhibitors were also associated with higher persistence than the IL-12/23 inhibitor for PsA, with no difference for PsO. However, the persistence rates of all biologics remained globally low at 3 years.

Real-World Treatment Persistence with Biologic Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs Among German Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis-A Retrospective Database Study

INTRODUCTION

To investigate drug survival for biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) in a real-world cohort of German adult biologic-naïve patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

METHODS

Claims data for patients with a diagnosis of PsA, a bDMARD claims record (index date) between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2017, and no bDMARD prescription for 365 days before the index date were retrospectively analyzed. The primary outcomes were the overall and individual bDMARD persistence rates over 12 months. Nonpersistence was defined as a treatment gap exceeding the days of supply plus 60 days or switching to a bDMARD other than the index therapy. Sensitivity analysis was performed, wherein the treatment gap was found to vary depending on the bDMARD regimen. Kaplan-Meier curves were plotted to determine persistence; the log-rank test was used to evaluate differences in the persistence rate. Factors associated with treatment discontinuation were evaluated using Cox regression analysis.

RESULTS

Among 10,954 patients with a PsA diagnosis, 348 were eligible. The overall bDMARD persistence rate was 57.5%; individual bDMARD persistence rates were 81.3% for ustekinumab, 66.7% for infliximab, and 60.0% for golimumab. The mean (SD) overall persistence with bDMARDs was 289 (103) days; the mean persistence was 334 (72) days for ustekinumab, 309 (82) days for golimumab, and 305 (92) days for infliximab. The main reasons for nonpersistence were switching to another bDMARD (15.8%) and treatment discontinuation (26.7%). Male gender was significantly associated with a lower risk of treatment discontinuation (hazard ratio 0.54, 95% confidence interval 0.39-0.77; P < 0.001). The sensitivity analysis yielded similar results.

CONCLUSION

The one-year persistence rate for bDMARDs in German PsA patients is modest, although the persistence rate depends on the bDMARD considered.