The researchers concluded that rituximab should be considered as a preferred biologic treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) therapy, though treatment of RA with any biologic medication improved quality of life significantly.
A recent study, based on real-world experience in Bulgaria, looked to compare the quality of life (QOL) benefits and the cost of biologic therapeutic options for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
In the observational study, researchers enrolled 124 patients treated with biological medicines after receiving prior treatment with conventional drugs from 2012 to 2016 at a university hospital in Bulgaria. QOL was assessed through the European Quality 5-Dimensions (EQ5D) questionnaire at the beginning of therapy, after 6 months, and 1 year.
Physicians were able to choose the biologic medicine prescribed to their patient based on clinical status of the patients and the available medicines on the hospital’s reimbursement list. Patients in the study took the following therapies: tocilizumab (n = 30), certolizumab pegol (n = 16), golimumab (n = 22), etanercept (n = 20), adalimumab (n = 20), and rituximab (n = 16).
Click here to read more about biologic therapies in RA.
To evaluate the cost effectiveness of each respective product, researchers built a decision-tree model using software to compare the yearly pharmacotherapy cost with the changes in EQ5D scores after 1 year of biologic therapy.
Through the evaluation, researchers confirmed that the QOL improvement produced by biologic therapy is statistically significant. Specifically, as measured by EQ5D, QOL improves quickly at the beginning of therapy and subsequently slows down toward the end of 1 year of therapy.
However, though each drug was found to improve the QOL of RA patients, only rituximab was identified to be cost-effective.
“Biological medicines appear not to be cost-effective due to their high incremental cost-effectiveness ratio,” the authors noted. Rituximab’s incremental cost-effectiveness ratio falls close to being 3 time the gross domestic product per capita threshold.
The researchers concluded that rituximab should be considered as a preferred biologic treatment for RA therapy, though treatment of RA with any biologic medication improves quality of life significantly.
Reference
Boyadzieva V, Stoilov N, Stoilov R, et al. Quality of life and cost study of rheumatoid arthritis therapy with biological medicines. Front Pharmacol. 2018;9:794. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2018.00794.
AMCP Posters Tackle Interchangeability and Medicaid, Factors Driving Biosimilar Access
April 24th 2024Two posters from the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) annual meeting explore how an interchangeable insulin glargine biosimilar plays into Medicaid budgets and the top factors driving access to biosimilars.
Decoding the Patent Puzzle: Navigating the Legal Landscape of Biosimilars
March 17th 2024On this episode of Not So Different, Ha Kung Wong, JD, an intellectual patent attorney and partner at Venable LLP, details the confusing landscape that is the US patent system and how it can be improved to help companies overcome barriers to biosimilar competition.
Julie Reed: Why 2024 Is Important for Biosimilars
April 17th 2024Julie Reed, executive director of the Biosimilars Forum, showcases how the biosimilar industry is expected to develop throughout 2024, including major policy changes and hope for continued improvement in market share for adalimumab biosimilars.
Biosimilars Rheumatology Roundup for February 2024—Podcast Edition
March 3rd 2024On this episode of Not So Different, The Center for Biosimilars® revisited all the major rheumatology biosimilar news from February 2024, including the FDA approval of the 10th adalimumab biosimilar, the promise for an oral delivery system for ustekinumab, and the impact of adalimumab products on COVID-19 antibodies.
Alvotech’s Stelara Biosimilar, Selarsdi, Receives FDA Approval
April 16th 2024Alvotech’s Selarsdi (ustekinumab-aekn), a biosimilar referencing Stelara (ustekinumab), gained FDA approval, making it the second ustekinumab biosimilar and second for the company to be given the green light for the American market.
What Clinicians Need to Know About Using Biosimilars to Treat IBD
April 13th 2024A review article, intended to act as a guide for clinicians, summarizes the available infliximab and adalimumab biosimilars for treating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) as well as others that are coming down the pipeline.