In the Short Term, Most Patients With RA Remain on a Biosimilar Post Switch
During this week’s European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Annual European Congress of Rheumatology, researchers from the University of Manchester reported on their findings regarding patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) involved in the BSRBR-RA study who had switched from reference infliximab or reference etanercept to biosimilars.
Beginning in 2015, biosimilar products became available in the United Kingdom for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and the University of Manchester has been monitoring the long-term safety of these drugs in the BSRBR-RA study.
During this week’s European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Annual European Congress of Rheumatology, researchers from the University of Manchester reported on their findings regarding patients with RA involved in the BSRBR-RA study who had switched from reference infliximab or reference etanercept to biosimilar options of their respective therapies.
A total of 966 patients were included, and 760 of them had switched from brand-name etanercept to a biosimilar, while 206 of them had switched from brand-name infliximab to a biosimilar.
After a median follow-up of 22.5 months after the switch, the majority of patients remained on the biosimilar; 81% of the patients being treated with etanercept were continuing to receive a biosimilar, as were 81% of patients being treated with infliximab.
In total, 11% of the patients discontinued taking biologics completely, with most of those who discontinued doing so because of serious adverse events (including malignancy or infection). Six patients taking etanercept reported injection or infusion reactions after the switch, as did 3 patients taking infliximab. These reactions led 4 patients to switch back and 2 patients to discontinue.
Other reasons for discontinuation included remission, feeling generally unwell, ineffectiveness, or patient decision, among others. The time to switching back was 5 months (range, 3-8), and the time to discontinuation of all biologics was 7 months (range, 4-12).
The majority of patients, conclude the investigators, remain on a biosimilar in the short term after a switch, and hypersensitivity reactions are rare reasons to stop either drug completely or to switch back to the reference.
Reference
Davies R, Kearsley-Fleet L, Lunt M, et al. Frequency and reasons for switching back to biologic originator following initial switch to biologic biosimilar. Presented at: The European League Against Rheumatism European Congress of Rheumatology 2019; June 12-15, 2019; Madrid, Spain. Abstract SAT0141.
Study Documents HCPs’ Experiences of a Mandatory Switch to Inform Future Transitions
December 2nd 2023A survey explores the experiences of health care providers (HCP) throughout the transition process following a mandatory switch from the adalimumab originator (Humira) to a biosimilar in New Zealand in 2022.
Dr Fran Gregory Sizes Up the US Adalimumab Market: Will Biosimilars See Success?
September 17th 2023On this episode of Not So Different, Fran Gregory, PharmD, MBA, vice president of emerging therapies at Cardinal Health, analyzes the adalimumab market so far in the United States and provides insight into how the market needs to adapt to accept these products and ensure lower drug costs for patients.
Eye on Pharma: Adalimumab Updates; New Eylea Biosimilar Lawsuit; Canada Gains Stelara Biosimilar
November 22nd 2023Several companies make moves to further their adalimumab biosimilars, Regeneron sues Celltrion over biosimilar for Eylea (aflibercept), and Health Canada grants marketing authorization for biosimilar referencing Stelara (ustekinumab).
Adalimumab Biosimilars Take Center Stage: A Game Changer for IBD Treatment
July 16th 2023Laura Wingate, from the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, explains some of the challenges regarding educating patients and providers on biosimilars for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) as well as whether the gastroenterology space is ready for the influx of adalimumab biosimilars.
Public Payer in Poland Saves €243 Million by Using Biosimilar TNF Inhibitors
November 11th 2023The use of biosimilars of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors within Poland’s public payer saved over €243 million from 2013 to 2021, with about 68% of that coming from the rheumatic musculoskeletal diseases alone.
Real-World Data Confirm Safety, Efficacy of CT-P13 in Inflammatory Diseases
November 9th 2023A real-world analysis from Japan confirmed that CT-P13, an intravenous infliximab biosimilar, had comparable safety and efficacy to the reference product (Remicade; infliximab) in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases.
