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Introduction: Fistula is a common complication of Crohn's disease (CD). Treatment with biologics has been associated with fistula healing. Long-term persistence is an important factor for a chronic inflammatory process such as fistula. This study described 24-month persistence and time-to-surgery endpoints among bio-naïve patients with CD and intestinal fistula who were initiated on ustekinumab. Methods: Adults with CD and any enteric or perianal fistula initiated on ustekinumab (index date) between September 23, 2016, and March 2, 2022, were selected from the IQVIA PharMetrics® Plus database and followed up to 24 months. Persistence on ustekinumab (no gaps in days of supply of > 120 days) and composite endpoints of being persistent while on monotherapy and persistent while corticosteroid free were also assessed. The date of surgery was defined as the date of first claim for any CD-related surgeries. Persistence and time-to-surgery endpoints were assessed from the index date until the earliest of discontinuation (event), immunomodulator or other biologic use (event), corticosteroid use (event), date of surgery (event), 24-month follow-up or data end (censoring) using Kaplan-Meier analyses. Results: The sample included 445 patients (mean age: 42.8 years; 56.6% female). The most common type of fistula was anal fistula (36.0%). At 24 months after ustekinumab initiation, 64.2% of patients remained persistent (95% confidence interval [CI] 55.8–71.4). Furthermore, 53.3% of patients were persistent while on monotherapy (95% CI 45.1–60.7), and 45.6% of patients were persistent while being corticosteroid free (95% CI 36.9–53.8). At 24 months, 22.8% (95% CI 17.0–30.3) of patients underwent any CD-related surgery. Conclusion: This study quantified long-term persistence on ustekinumab among bio-naïve patients with CD and fistula. Over half of patients initiated on ustekinumab were persistent and persistent while on monotherapy 24 months after initiation. Time-to-surgery estimate was comparable to existing evidence. These findings support ustekinumab as a treatment option for long-term management of CD with fistula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Persistence on advanced therapies in ulcerative colitis (UC) is a useful real-world treatment performance measure. This study compared real-world persistence during the maintenance phase among advanced therapy-naïve and -experienced patients with UC initiated on ustekinumab or adalimumab. Methods: Claims data from the IQVIA PharMetrics® Plus de-identified database (01/01/2015–06/30/2022) were used to select adult patients with UC treated with ustekinumab or adalimumab based on the agent first initiated (index date) after 10/21/2019. Inverse probability of treatment weighting was used to balance cohorts on baseline characteristics. Persistence on the index agent (no gaps in days of supply of > 120 days for ustekinumab or > 60 days for adalimumab), persistence while corticosteroid-free, while on monotherapy, and persistence on the US labeled dose were described and compared during the 12-month period post-index using Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards models. Outcomes were analyzed separately among advanced therapy-naïve and advanced therapy-experienced patients. Results: At 12 months post-index, advanced therapy-naïve patients receiving ustekinumab (n = 371) had higher persistence on the index agent [83.8% vs. 57.6%, hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) = 3.09 (2.29–4.16); p < 0.001), persistence while corticosteroid-free [2.00 (1.63–2.45); p < 0.001], persistence while on monotherapy [2.67 (2.07–3.44); p < 0.001], and persistence on the labeled dose [4.21 (2.76–6.44); p < 0.001] versus those receiving adalimumab (n = 1726). At 12 months post-index, advanced therapy-experienced patients receiving ustekinumab (n = 693) had higher persistence on the index agent [78.1% vs. 59.2%, 2.44 (1.82–3.26); p < 0.001], persistence while corticosteroid-free [1.24 (1.01–1.54); p = 0.0447], persistence while on monotherapy [2.53 (2.00–3.21); p < 0.001], and persistence on the labeled dose [4.77 (3.09–7.35); p < 0.001] versus those receiving adalimumab (n = 254). Conclusion: This claims-based analysis demonstrated significantly higher treatment persistence, including persistence while corticosteroid-free, persistence while on monotherapy, and persistence on the labeled dose, among both advanced therapy-naïve and advanced therapy-experienced patients with UC initiated on ustekinumab compared to adalimumab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Review of medical records from 173 women with osteoporosis who received abaloparatide treatment revealed that 96.0% had at least one visit for osteoporosis management and 55.5% had medication support group access. The most common reasons for discontinuing treatment were financial (31.2%) and tolerability (22.8%). Most patients (64.8%) completed treatment as prescribed. Purpose: Abaloparatide is approved for the treatment of women with postmenopausal osteoporosis at high risk for fracture. This study evaluated real-world treatment patterns for patients new to abaloparatide, regardless of osteoporosis treatment history. Methods: Data for patients with ≥ 1 prescription for abaloparatide were collected retrospectively from six academic and clinical practice settings across the US. Results: A total of 173 patients were enrolled (mean [SD] age, 69.8 [7.4] years). At the time of abaloparatide treatment initiation, 78.6% had received other osteoporosis medications. Mean (SD) time from discontinuation of osteoporosis medications prior to initiation of abaloparatide was 1.7 (3.2) years. Twenty-four months of follow-up data from the initiation date of abaloparatide was collected from 94.0% of patients and 6.0% of patients had 12–24 months of follow-up. During the follow-up period, 96.0% of patients had at least one visit for osteoporosis management and 55.5% had access to a medication support program. The median duration of therapy was 18.6 months and 105/162 (64.8%) completed abaloparatide treatment as prescribed. The most common reasons for treatment discontinuation were financial (31.2%) and tolerability (22.8%). Following completion of a course of treatment with abaloparatide, 82/162 (50.6%) patients transitioned to another osteoporosis medication. The median time between abaloparatide treatment course completion and the initiation of follow-on medication was 21 days. Conclusion: Most patients completed treatment with abaloparatide as prescribed, and over half continued with an antiresorptive agent. This favorable conduct may be the result of regular follow-up visits and accessibility to both medication and patient support services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Treatment options with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) for psoriatic arthritis (PsA) have evolved over recent years. In addition to Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi), four classes of biologic DMARDs (bDMARDs; interleukin [IL]-23 inhibitors [IL-23i], IL-12/23 inhibitors [IL-12/23i], tumor necrosis factor inhibitors [TNFi], and IL-17 inhibitors [IL-17i]) are currently approved for moderate to severe PsA treatment. There is minimal evidence of the persistence of these drugs among PsA outpatients in a real-world scenario during the period following the approval of JAKi. Therefore, we aimed to analyze the drug survival rates of biologic and JAKi therapies among German PsA outpatients during routine clinical care. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed PsA patients with a new prescription for a biologic or JAKi in the RHADAR database between January 2015 and October Results: 1352 new prescriptions with bDMARDs (IL-12/23i [n=50], IL-23i [n=31], TNFi [n=774], IL-17i [n=360]) or JAKi (n=137) were identified. The 5-year drug survival rate was 67.8% for IL-17i, 62.3% for TNFi, 53.3% for JAKi, and 46.0% for IL-12/23i. Discontinuation probabilities for JAKi and IL-12/23i were significantly higher compared with TNFi (JAKi hazard ratio [HR] 1.66, [95% CI 1.23-2.24], p=0.001; IL-12/23i HR 1.54, [95% CI 1.02-2.33], p=0.042) and IL-17i (JAKi HR 1.77, [95% CI 1.27-2.47], p=0.001; IL-12/23i HR 1.64, [95% CI 1.06-2.55], p=0.027). JAKi-treated patients had more severe disease and more osteoarthritis (OA) compared to TNFi and more OA compared to IL-17i. Conclusion: German PsA outpatients might persist longer with TNFi and IL-17i compared with IL-12/23i or JAKi. For TNFi, differences in subgroup characteristics and comorbidities (OA) may have affected drug survival rates. For IL-17i, the longer drug survival might not only be related to less OA compared to JAKi and, therefore, might be affected by other factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in elderly population represents a challenge for physicians in terms of therapeutic management. Methotrexate (MTX) is the first-line treatment among conventional synthetic-disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (cs-DMARDs); however, it is often associated with adverse events (AEs). Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify the incidence and risk factors of MTX discontinuation due to AEs in elderly patients with RA in a long-term retrospective cohort study. Methods: Clinical sheets from elderly RA patients taking MTX from an outpatient rheumatology consult in a university centre were reviewed. To assess MTX persistence, we used Kaplan–Meir curves and Cox regression models to identify the risk of withdrawing MTX due to adverse events. Results: In total, 198 elderly RA patients who reported using MTX were included. Of them, the rates of definitive suspension of MTX due to AEs were 23.0% at 5 years, 35.6% at 10 years and 51.7% at 15 years. The main organs and system involved were gastrointestinal (15.7%) and mucocutaneous (3.0%). Factors associated with withdrawing MTX due to AEs were MTX dose ≥ 15 mg/wk (adjusted HR: 2.46, 95% CI: 1.22–4.96, p = 0.012); instead, the folic acid supplementation was protective for withdrawal (adjusted HR: 0.28, 95% CI: 0.16–0.49, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Higher doses of MTX increase the risk of withdrawals in elderly RA, while folic acid supplementation reduces the risk. Therefore, physicians working in therapeutic management for elderly patients using MTX must focus on using lower MTX doses together with the concomitant prescription of folic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To analyze treatment persistence and treatment outcomes of vedolizumab as first-line biological treatment in Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) patients in a Finnish real-world setting. Methods: Observational, retrospective, multi-center chart review study that included adult CD and UC patients initiating vedolizumab as first-line biological treatment between 2014 and 2020. Results: The cohort consisted of 54 CD and 69 UC patients. At month 12, treatment persistence was 84.9 % in CD and 64.7 % in UC. Most vedolizumab discontinuations (CD, n = 11; UC, n = 26) were due to inefficacy. Discontinuations due to adverse events were rare (n

Introduction: Golimumab, a monoclonal antibody against tumor necrosis factor–α (TNF-α), is used widely for treatment of rheumatic diseases. Long-term persistence is an important factor influencing therapeutic benefit and is a surrogate measure of efficacy. We compared five-year golimumab treatment persistence across studies, indications, and lines of therapy using pooled data from pivotal golimumab Phase III clinical trials. Methods: This post-hoc analysis evaluated use of golimumab administered subcutaneously (50 or 100 mg every four weeks) for up to five years in 2228 adult participants with rheumatoid arthritis (RA; GO-BEFORE, GO-AFTER, and GO-FORWARD studies), psoriatic arthritis (PsA; GO-REVEAL study), or ankylosing spondylitis (AS; GO-RAISE study). Retention rate differences were evaluated by study, indication, and line of therapy using log-rank tests, and probability of treatment persistence was estimated by Kaplan–Meier analysis. Results: Golimumab retention rates at Year 5 were consistently high when used as 1st-line therapy (69.8%) and did not differ significantly across the three indications tested (p = 0.5106) or across 1st-line studies (p = 0.2327). Retention at Year 5 was better in participants using golimumab as 1st-line than in those using it as 2nd-line (41.6%) therapy. Participants on 2nd-line golimumab therapy had a longer disease duration (median 9.2 years versus 3.7 years) than those on 1st-line golimumab therapy. Conclusions: These data support the value of long-term golimumab therapy in patients with chronic, immune-mediated rheumatic diseases when used as 1st-line (RA, PsA, AS) or 2nd-line (RA) therapy. Key Points • Golimumab is a human monoclonal antibody directed against tumor necrosis factor–α (TNF-α) and is approved widely for the treatment of rheumatic autoimmune diseases. • We compared the probability of treatment persistence, or the time of continuous drug use, for golimumab across five Phase III studies spanning multiple rheumatic indications over five years. • Treatment persistence was favorable and did not differ significantly for participants with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis, but persistence was greater when golimumab was used as 1st-line than as 2nd-line biologic therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Real-world data on the comparative effectiveness of endothelin receptor antagonists (ERAs; macitentan, bosentan, ambrisentan) for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), particularly in Asian countries, are scarce. We evaluated the persistence of these ERAs before and after macitentan approval in Japan (2015). Methods: We used real-world data from the Japanese Medical Data Vision administrative claims database between April 2008 and November 2020. Patients with PAH were identified from the dataset. Persistence to ERA treatment before and after approval of macitentan in Japan was defined as the time between start of the index ERA and treatment discontinuation or death. Propensity score adjustment was applied to minimize confounding effects among treatment groups. Results: In the pre-macitentan approval cohort, 153 and 51 patients received bosentan and ambrisentan, respectively. In the post-macitentan approval cohort, 331, 284, and 91 patients received macitentan, bosentan, and ambrisentan, respectively. Unadjusted median persistence for ambrisentan- and bosentan-treated patients was 19 and 10 months, respectively (adjusted HR 0.87 [95% CI 0.61–1.24]; P = 0.434 [bosentan as reference]). In the post-macitentan approval cohort, unadjusted median persistence was 18 months for macitentan-treated patients versus 6 and 8 months for ambrisentan- and bosentan-treated patients, respectively. Adjusted HRs for ambrisentan and bosentan were 1.48 (95% CI 1.12–1.95; P = 0.006) and 1.63 (95% CI 1.30–2.04; P < 0.001 [macitentan as reference]), respectively. Conclusions: Real-world data for Japanese patients with PAH showed that persistence was significantly higher for macitentan, versus ambrisentan and bosentan, since its approval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims: Real-world assessments of efficacy and safety of advanced therapies used for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients are limited. We aimed to report safety, efficacy and treatment persistence of new molecules (infliximab, adalimumab, vedolizumab, tofacitinib, ustekinumab) in a retrospective multicentric national Romanian analysis. Methods: We conducted a nationwide, retrospective observational multicentric study. Data were collected retrospectively from electronic and paper files. Patients who started on one of the five investigated molecules during December 2019-December 2021 were included. The main outcome measures were clinical remission, endoscopic healing, persistence on treatment and safety data. Results: A total of 678 adult patients from 24 Romanian IBD centers with a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease were included. Participants had previously failure to one (268, 39.5%), two (108, 15%) or more treatment lines and only 38% (259) were biologic naïve. In the 24 months study period, most patients were started on vedolizumab (192, 28%), followed by adalimumab, infliximab, ustekinumab and tofacitinib. In biologic-naïve patients, most physicians (72%) preferred anti-TNF treatment as first line biologic (93 patients started on infliximab, 92 on adalimumab), followed by vedolizumab, ustekinumab and tofacitinib. During follow-up, 71% (470, p=0.05) of patients achieved clinical remission and 36% (134, p=0.03) achieved mucosal healing. The 6 months milestone for persistence was reached in 78% (530) of cases. Almost half of patients (47%, 316 patients) persisted on their current treatment for over 12 months. Overall, an adverse reaction was reported for 67 (10.4%) patients, with no lethal events. Conclusions: Population of biologic-experienced IBD patients in Romania is increasing and is becoming more difficult to achieve long-term disease control. Discontinuation rates for advanced therapies are high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectiveTreatment options with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) for psoriatic arthritis (PsA) have evolved over recent years. In addition to Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi), four classes of biologic DMARDs (bDMARDs; interleukin [IL]-23 inhibitors [IL-23i], IL-12/23 inhibitors [IL-12/23i], tumor necrosis factor inhibitors [TNFi], and IL-17 inhibitors [IL-17i]) are currently approved for moderate to severe PsA treatment. There is minimal evidence of the persistence of these drugs among PsA outpatients in a real-world scenario during the period following the approval of JAKi. Therefore, we aimed to analyze the drug survival rates of biologic and JAKi therapies among German PsA outpatients during routine clinical care.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed PsA patients with a new prescription for a biologic or JAKi in the RHADAR database between January 2015 and October 2023. Kaplan-Meier Curves and Cox regression modelling were used to compare drug survival rates.Results1352 new prescriptions with bDMARDs (IL-12/23i [n=50], IL-23i [n=31], TNFi [n=774], IL-17i [n=360]) or JAKi (n=137) were identified. The 5-year drug survival rate was 67.8% for IL-17i, 62.3% for TNFi, 53.3% for JAKi, and 46.0% for IL-12/23i. Discontinuation probabilities for JAKi and IL-12/23i were significantly higher compared with TNFi (JAKi hazard ratio [HR] 1.66, [95% CI 1.23–2.24], p=0.001; IL-12/23i HR 1.54, [95% CI 1.02–2.33], p=0.042) and IL-17i (JAKi HR 1.77, [95% CI 1.27–2.47], p=0.001; IL-12/23i HR 1.64, [95% CI 1.06–2.55], p=0.027). JAKi-treated patients had more severe disease and more osteoarthritis (OA) compared to TNFi and more OA compared to IL-17i. ConclusionGerman PsA outpatients might persist longer with TNFi and IL-17i compared with IL-12/23i or JAKi. For TNFi, differences in subgroup characteristics and comorbidities (OA) may have affected drug survival rates. For IL-17i, the longer drug survival might not only be related to less OA compared to JAKi and, therefore, might be affected by other factors.

Abstract Introduction Real-world data on the comparative effectiveness of endothelin receptor antagonists (ERAs; macitentan, bosentan, ambrisentan) for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), particularly in Asian countries, are scarce. We evaluated the persistence of these ERAs before and after macitentan approval in Japan (2015). Methods We used real-world data from the Japanese Medical Data Vision administrative claims database between April 2008 and November 2020. Patients with PAH were identified from the dataset. Persistence to ERA treatment before and after approval of macitentan in Japan was defined as the time between start of the index ERA and treatment discontinuation or death. Propensity score adjustment was applied to minimize confounding effects among treatment groups. Results In the pre-macitentan approval cohort, 153 and 51 patients received bosentan and ambrisentan, respectively. In the post-macitentan approval cohort, 331, 284, and 91 patients received macitentan, bosentan, and ambrisentan, respectively. Unadjusted median persistence for ambrisentan- and bosentan-treated patients was 19 and 10 months, respectively (adjusted HR 0.87 [95% CI 0.61–1.24]; P = 0.434 [bosentan as reference]). In the post-macitentan approval cohort, unadjusted median persistence was 18 months for macitentan-treated patients versus 6 and 8 months for ambrisentan- and bosentan-treated patients, respectively. Adjusted HRs for ambrisentan and bosentan were 1.48 (95% CI 1.12–1.95; P = 0.006) and 1.63 (95% CI 1.30–2.04; P

Abstract Background The present study analysed data on children and adolescents with a diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who were referred to the ADHD reference centre of Scientific Institute IRCCS E. Medea (Brindisi, Italy) for ADHD pharmacotherapy initiation and monitoring overtime. The main aim of the study was to examine differences in pharmacological treatment status (i.e., treatment continuation vs discontinuation) between patients. Methods Seventy-seven children and adolescents (mean age at pharmacotherapy initiation = 9.5, standard deviation = 2.6) with ADHD received drugs treatment for ADHD at the reference center between January, 2013 and May, 2022. Demographic and clinical data were obtained from the Italian Registry for ADHD and medical records. Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) available data were used. Results Pharmacological treatment status was examined for patients (n = 63) with at least 12 months of follow-up after the first pharmacological treatment for ADHD. After starting pharmacotherapy treatment, 77.8% (n = 49) patients were still on treatment whereas 22.2% (n = 14) discontinued it. No between group difference were observed in demographic and clinical data except for the intelligence quotient/intellectual disability and rule-breaking behavior (n = 40). Conclusions This study stressed the need of periodical assessments, monitoring difficulties with treatment and/or reasons for poor treatment compliance to provide individualized care.

Background and objective Real-world evidence on persistence of interleukin-17 inhibitors (IL-17i) as a drug class among Japanese patients with psoriasis is lacking. Hence, we aimed to describe persistence rates of IL-17is among patients with psoriasis including psoriasis vulgaris (PsO), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) or erythrodermic psoriasis (EP) in Japan. Methods We analyzed claims data from the Medical Data Vision database. Patients ≥15 years old with a psoriasis diagnosis and an IL-17i prescription between November 2016 and August 2020 were included and followed through August 2021. Persistence rates of the IL-17i class among patients with psoriasis and its subtypes (PsO, PsA, and GPP or EP), and persistence rates of ixekizumab, secukinumab, or brodalumab among patients with PsO or PsA were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier method. Analyses were conducted in the bio-naïve and bio-experienced subgroups. Results The IL-17i class had >50% persistence rates up to 36 months among patients with psoriasis and its subtypes (PsO, PsA, and GPP or EP). 36-Month persistence rates for ixekizumab, secukinumab, and brodalumab were 46.2% to 57.7% in patients with PsO and 43.0% to 48.4% in patients with PsA. Across analyses, bio-naïve patients demonstrated similar or greater persistence rates than bio-experienced patients. Conclusion IL-17is’ persistence rates over 36 months were >50% among patients with psoriasis and its subtypes (PsO, PsA, and GPP or EP) in Japan.

Background: The present study analysed data on children and adolescents with a diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who were referred to the ADHD reference centre of Scientific Institute IRCCS E. Medea (Brindisi, Italy) for ADHD pharmacotherapy initiation and monitoring overtime. The main aim of the study was to examine differences in pharmacological treatment status (i.e., treatment continuation vs discontinuation) between patients. Methods: Seventy-seven children and adolescents (mean age at pharmacotherapy initiation = 9.5, standard deviation = 2.6) with ADHD received drugs treatment for ADHD at the reference center between January, 2013 and May, 2022. Demographic and clinical data were obtained from the Italian Registry for ADHD and medical records. Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) available data were used. Results: Pharmacological treatment status was examined for patients (n = 63) with at least 12 months of follow-up after the first pharmacological treatment for ADHD. After starting pharmacotherapy treatment, 77.8% (n = 49) patients were still on treatment whereas 22.2% (n = 14) discontinued it. No between group difference were observed in demographic and clinical data except for the intelligence quotient/intellectual disability and rule-breaking behavior (n = 40). Conclusions: This study stressed the need of periodical assessments, monitoring difficulties with treatment and/or reasons for poor treatment compliance to provide individualized care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Connective tissue disorders (CTDs) are the most frequent diseases associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Despite advances in treatment, the prognosis of CTD-related PAH remains poor. To help identify areas for improvement in the management of CTD-related PAH, this study assessed real-world PAH treatment patterns in this population in the US. Methods: Eligible adult patients with PAH initiated on a PAH treatment (index date: 1st initiation date) were identified from Optum's de-identified Clinformatics® Data Mart Database (10/01/2015–09/30/2021) and categorized into mutually exclusive cohorts (CTD + PAH; PAH) based on the presence of CTD diagnosis claims. Treatment patterns were assessed from the index date to the earliest of death or end of continuous insurance eligibility, or data availability. Treatment persistence was assessed using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results: A total of 4751 patients were included (CTD + PAH: n = 728, mean follow-up of 18.8 months; PAH: n = 4023, mean follow-up of 19.6 months). For both cohorts, the most common first treatment regimens were sildenafil (CTD + PAH: 38.7%; PAH: 51.5%), tadalafil (10.0%; 9.4%), and macitentan (8.1%; 5.4%) monotherapy; these were also the most frequent agents included in any of the first 3 treatment regimens. Combination therapy was more frequent in the CTD + PAH versus PAH cohort (any regimen: 40.9% vs. 27.2%; 1st treatment regimen: 26.9% vs. 18.5%; 2nd: 52.8% vs. 42.0%; 3rd: 55.2% vs. 48.5%). Treatment persistence was similar across cohorts and the first three treatment regimens, with persistence rates ranging from 42.6 to 49.7% at 12 months. Conclusions: Treatment patterns were generally similar between the CTD + PAH and PAH cohorts, although combination therapy was more frequent in the CTD + PAH cohort. Both cohorts may benefit from broader use of all available PAH treatment classes, including combination therapy. Considering the life-threatening nature of PAH, our findings also highlight the need to address the low persistence rates with PAH therapies regardless of etiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study evaluated 12 months adherence and persistence among Janus kinase inhibitors (upadacitinib, baricitinib, tofacitinib) and adalimumab, a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi), in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: This retrospective analysis used administrative claims data from the Merative™ MarketScan® Research Databases (2018–2022). Eligible adults had ≥ 1 RA diagnosis before the index date, ≥ 1 pharmacy claim for index medication, and ≥ 12 months of continuous insurance enrollment pre- and post-index. Adherence to treatment [defined as proportion of days covered (PDC) ≥ 80%], risk of treatment discontinuation, and mean time to discontinuation were assessed during the 12 months follow-up. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR), adjusted hazard ratios (aHR), and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported. Results: In total, 6317 patients were included (683 upadacitinib, 3732 adalimumab, 132 baricitinib, 1770 tofacitinib). Compared with upadacitinib, patients initiating adalimumab [aOR (95% CI): 0.82 (0.69, 0.96)], baricitinib [0.46 (0.31, 0.68)], and tofacitinib [0.74 (0.62, 0.88)] were significantly less likely to achieve PDC ≥ 80%. Risk of treatment discontinuation was significantly higher in patients treated with adalimumab [aHR (95% CI): 1.14 (1.01, 1.29)], baricitinib [1.48 (1.16, 1.90)], and tofacitinib [1.22 (1.07, 1.38)] compared with upadacitinib. Mean time to discontinuation was 256 (upadacitinib), 249 (adalimumab), 221 (baricitinib), and 239 (tofacitinib) days. Similar results were observed in patients with prior TNFi use. Conclusions: Patients with RA, regardless of recent TNFi experience, initiating upadacitinib were significantly more likely to be adherent and less likely to discontinue therapy compared to adalimumab, baricitinib, and tofacitinib in the first 12 months of treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Treatment persistence is a proxy for efficacy, safety and patient satisfaction, and a switch in treatment or treatment discontinuation has been associated with increased indirect and direct costs in inflammatory arthritis (IA). Hence, there are both clinical and economic incentives for the identification of factors associated with treatment persistence. Until now, studies have mainly leveraged traditional regression analysis, but it has been suggested that novel approaches, such as statistical learning techniques, may improve our understanding of factors related to treatment persistence. Therefore, we set up a study using nationwide Swedish high-coverage administrative register data with the objective to identify patient groups with distinct persistence of subcutaneous tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (SC-TNFi) treatment in IA, using recursive partitioning, a statistical learning algorithm. Methods: IA was defined as a diagnosis of rheumatic arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis/unspecified spondyloarthritis (AS/uSpA) or psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Adult swedish biologic-naïve patients with IA initiating biologic treatment with a SC-TNFi (adalimumab, etanercept, certolizumab or golimumab) between May 6, 2010, and December 31, 2017. Treatment persistence of SC-TNFi was derived based on prescription data and a defined standard daily dose. Patient characteristics, including age, sex, number of health care contacts, comorbidities and treatment, were collected at treatment initiation and 12 months before treatment initiation. Based on these characteristics, we used recursive partitioning in a conditional inference framework to identify patient groups with distinct SC-TNFi treatment persistence by IA diagnosis. Results: A total of 13,913 patients were included. Approximately 50% had RA, while 27% and 23% had AS/uSpA and PsA, respectively. The recursive partitioning algorithm identified sex and treatment as factors associated with SC-TNFi treatment persistence in PsA and AS/uSpA. Time on treatment in the groups with the lowest treatment persistence was similar across all three indications (9.5–11.3 months), whereas there was more variation in time on treatment across the groups with the highest treatment persistence (18.4–48.9 months). Conclusions: Women have low SC-TNFi treatment persistence in PsA and AS/uSpA whereas male sex and golimumab are associated with high treatment persistence in these indications. The factors associated with treatment persistence in RA were less distinct but may comprise disease activity and concurrent conventional systemic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Hyperkalemia (HK) may result in disruptions of guidelines-concordant renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors (RAASi), a standard of care in persons with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Such disruptions—dose reduction or discontinuation—diminish the benefits of RAASi, placing patients at risk of serious events and renal dysfunction. This real-world study evaluated RAASi modifications among patients who initiated sodium zirconium cyclosilicate (SZC) for HK. Methods: Adults (≥ 18 years) initiating outpatient SZC (index date) while on RAASi were identified from a large US claims database (January 2018–June 2020). RAASi optimization (maintain same or up-titration of RAASi dosage), non-optimization (down-titration of RAASi dosage or discontinuation), and persistence were descriptively summarized following index. Predictors of RAASi optimization were assessed using multivariable logistic regression models. Analyses were conducted by subgroups, including patients without end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), with CKD, and with CKD + diabetes. Results: A total of 589 patients initiated SZC during RAASi therapy (mean age 61.0 years, 65.2% male), and 82.7% patients (n = 487) kept RAASi after index (mean follow-up = 8.1 months). Most patients (77.4%) optimized RAASi therapy after initiating SZC; 69.6% maintained the same dosage while 7.8% had up-titrations. A similar rate of RAASi optimization was observed among subgroups without ESKD (78.4%), with CKD (78.9%), and with CKD + diabetes (78.1%). At 1-year post-index, 73.9% of all patients who optimized RAASi were still on therapy, while only 17.9% of patients who did not optimize therapy were still on a RAASi. Among all patients, predictors of RAASi optimization included fewer prior hospitalizations (odds ratio = 0.79, 95% CI [0.63–1.00]; p < 0.05) and fewer prior emergency department (ED) visits (0.78 [0.63–0.96]; p < 0.05). Conclusion: Consistent with clinical trial findings, nearly 80% of patients who initiated SZC for HK optimized their RAASi therapy. Patients may require long-term SZC therapy to encourage continuation of RAASi therapy especially after inpatient and ED visits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background and rationale Treatment persistence combines clinician and patient judgment of efficacy, tolerability and safety into a comprehensive measure of effectiveness and is defined as the act of continuing a treatment over time. Studies have reported poor treatment persistence to antipsychotic medications in patients with schizophrenia. This study evaluated treatment persistence to lurasidone (LUR) in patients with schizophrenia in a real-world Italian setting. Methods This was a retrospective observational study of patients with schizophrenia who started treatment with LUR ≥ 6 months before inclusion. Following informed consent, data were collected starting from the index date (start of LUR treatment) at all visits occurring as per clinical practice. The primary endpoint was treatment persistence during the first 6 months, defined as the time between index date and all-cause discontinuation. Patients treated with LUR > 180 days were considered persistent. As secondary endpoint, treatment persistence was evaluated for a period of ≥ 18 months. Results Forty-five patients were enrolled and 41 (91.11%) completed the study. Forty-one patients (91.11%) were included in the eligible population as they initiated LUR treatment ≥ 6 months before data collection. Patients were 43.0 ± 15.89 years old and 61% were female. Twenty-two patients (53.66%) started LUR treatment in a hospital setting and 19 (46.34%) in an outpatient setting. Based on Clinical Global Impression—Severity scale (CGI-S) at LUR initiation, 12 patients (29.27%) were severely ill, 17.07% markedly ill, 19.51% moderately ill, 2.44% mildly ill and 4.88% borderline mentally ill. Thirty-two patients (78.05%) were treatment persistent for ≥ 180 days. Among the 19 patients observed for ≥ 18 months, 11 (57.89%) were persistent for ≥ 18 months. Among the 22 study patients observed for

Aim: This study sought to compare treatment persistence, adherence, and risk of exacerbation among patients with COPD treated with single-inhaler triple therapy (SITT) and multiple-inhaler triple therapy (MITT) in the Chinese population. Methods: This was a multicenter, prospective observational study. Patients with COPD from ten hospitals in Hunan and Guangxi provinces in China were recruited from 1 January 2020 to 31 November 2021 for the study and were followed up for one year. Treatment persistence, adherence, and exacerbation rates during the 12-month follow-up were analyzed in COPD patients treated with SITT and MITT. Results: A total of 1,328 patients were enrolled for final analysis, including 535 (40.3%) patients treated with SITT and 793 (59.7%) treated with MITT. Of these patients, the mean age was 64.9 years and most patients were men. The mean CAT score was 15.2 ± 7.1, and the median (IQR) FEV1% was 54.4 (31.2). The SITT group had a higher mean CAT score, more patients with mMRC >1, and lower mean FEV1% and FEV1/FVC than the MITT patients. Moreover, the proportion of patients with ≥1 exacerbation in the previous year was higher in the SITT cohort. SITT patients had, compared to MITT patients, a higher proportion of adherence (proportion of days covered, PDC) ≥0.8 (86.5% vs. 79.8%; p = 0.006), higher treatment persistence [HR: 1.676 (1.356–2.071), p < 0.001], lower risk of moderateto-severe exacerbation [HR: 0.729 (0.593–0.898), p = 0.003], and severe exacerbation [HR: 0.675 (0.515–0.875), p = 0.003], as well as reduced all-cause mortality risk [HR: 0.475 (0.237-0.952), p = 0.036] during the 12-month follow-up. Persistence was related to fewer future exacerbations and mortality than nonpersistence in the SITT and MITT groups. Conclusion: Patients with COPD treated with SITT showed improved treatment persistence and adherence, as well as a reduction in the risk of moderate-to-severe exacerbation, severe exacerbation, and mortality compared to patients treated with MITT in the Chinese population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objectives To assess whether persistence to treatment with methotrexate (MTX) in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is shared among first-degree relatives with RA and to estimate any underlying heritability. Methods First-degree relative pairs diagnosed with RA 1999–2018 and starting MTX (in monotherapy) as their first disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) treatment were identified by linking the Swedish Rheumatology Quality Register to national registers. Short- and long-term persistence to MTX was defined as remaining on treatment at 1 and 3 years, respectively, with no additional DMARDs added. We assessed familial aggregation through relative risks (RR) using log-binomial regression with robust standard errors and estimated heritability using tetrachoric correlations. We also explored the familial aggregation of EULAR treatment response after 3 and 6 months. To mimic the clinical setting, we also tested the association between having a family history of MTX persistence and persistence within the index patient. Results Familial persistence was not associated with persistence at 1 (RR=1.02, 95% CI 0.87–1.20), only at 3 (RR=1.41, 95% CI 1.14–1.74) years. Heritability at 1 and 3 years was estimated to be 0.08 (95% CI 0–0.43) and 0.58 (95% CI 0.27–0.89), respectively. No significant associations were found between family history and EULAR response at 3 and 6 months, neither overall nor in the clinical setting analysis. Conclusions Our findings imply a familial component, including a possible genetic element, within the long-term persistence to MTX following RA diagnosis. Whether this component is reflective of characteristics of the underlying RA disease or determinants for sustained response to MTX in itself will require further investigation.

Real-world evidence on persistence of interleukin-17 inhibitors (IL-17i) as a drug class among Japanese patients with psoriasis is lacking. Hence, we aimed to describe persistence rates of IL-17is among patients with psoriasis including psoriasis vulgaris (PsO), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) or erythrodermic psoriasis (EP) in Japan. We analyzed claims data from the Medical Data Vision database. Patients ≥15 years old with a psoriasis diagnosis and an IL-17i prescription between November 2016 and August 2020 were included and followed through August 2021. Persistence rates of the IL-17i class among patients with psoriasis and its subtypes (PsO, PsA, and GPP or EP), and persistence rates of ixekizumab, secukinumab, or brodalumab among patients with PsO or PsA were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier method. Analyses were conducted in the bio-naïve and bio-experienced subgroups. The IL-17i class had >50% persistence rates up to 36 months among patients with psoriasis and its subtypes (PsO, PsA, and GPP or EP). 36-Month persistence rates for ixekizumab, secukinumab, and brodalumab were 46.2% to 57.7% in patients with PsO and 43.0% to 48.4% in patients with PsA. Across analyses, bio-naïve patients demonstrated similar or greater persistence rates than bio-experienced patients. IL-17is' persistence rates over 36 months were >50% among patients with psoriasis and its subtypes (PsO, PsA, and GPP or EP) in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and rationale: Treatment persistence combines clinician and patient judgment of efficacy, tolerability and safety into a comprehensive measure of effectiveness and is defined as the act of continuing a treatment over time. Studies have reported poor treatment persistence to antipsychotic medications in patients with schizophrenia. This study evaluated treatment persistence to lurasidone (LUR) in patients with schizophrenia in a real-world Italian setting. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study of patients with schizophrenia who started treatment with LUR ≥ 6 months before inclusion. Following informed consent, data were collected starting from the index date (start of LUR treatment) at all visits occurring as per clinical practice. The primary endpoint was treatment persistence during the first 6 months, defined as the time between index date and all-cause discontinuation. Patients treated with LUR > 180 days were considered persistent. As secondary endpoint, treatment persistence was evaluated for a period of ≥ 18 months. Results: Forty-five patients were enrolled and 41 (91.11%) completed the study. Forty-one patients (91.11%) were included in the eligible population as they initiated LUR treatment ≥ 6 months before data collection. Patients were 43.0 ± 15.89 years old and 61% were female. Twenty-two patients (53.66%) started LUR treatment in a hospital setting and 19 (46.34%) in an outpatient setting. Based on Clinical Global Impression—Severity scale (CGI-S) at LUR initiation, 12 patients (29.27%) were severely ill, 17.07% markedly ill, 19.51% moderately ill, 2.44% mildly ill and 4.88% borderline mentally ill. Thirty-two patients (78.05%) were treatment persistent for ≥ 180 days. Among the 19 patients observed for ≥ 18 months, 11 (57.89%) were persistent for ≥ 18 months. Among the 22 study patients observed for < 18 months, 12 (54.54%) were persistent. An improvement in schizophrenia severity according to CGI-S was observed at inclusion (following LUR therapy) compared to the index date. Six patients (14.63%) experienced at least one adverse drug reaction: akathisia (7.32%), extrapyramidal disorder (4.88%), hyperprolactinemia (2.44%), restlessness (2.44%), and galactorrhea (2.44%). None were serious. Conclusions: Persistence to LUR in patients with schizophrenia was relatively high: 78% and 58% of patients were still on LUR after 6 and 18 months of treatment, respectively. This may reflect LUR's relatively favorable balance between efficacy and tolerability, as well as favorable patient satisfaction and acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The human sexual response is a complex physiological process that involves different neural, paracrine, autocrine, and endocrine mechanisms. Previous studies have revealed complex associations between sexual dysfunction, mood symptoms, and treatment with antidepressant drugs. Identify the incidence of antidepressant treatment-emergent sexual dysfunction or the effect of treatment continuation on sexual function. Methods: This study examined the effects of treatment persistence on sexual dysfunction in 35 patients with anxiety disorders (23 females, 12 males). The study was conducted in a naturalistic setting and utilized well-validated measures. Results: Cross-sectional findings indicated a point prevalence of sexual dysfunction of 57.1% at baseline, 75.1% at week 6, and 39.3% at week 12. The longitudinal analysis found worsening of sexual function at week 6 (but improvement in anxiety symptoms) and improvement of well-being and sexual function with 12 weeks of treatment continuation. Conclusion: This study provides preliminary results on the relationship between sexual dysfunctions and anxiety symptoms. Further research in this area is needed to confirm these preliminary results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-marketing surveillance is essential to evaluate the risk/benefit profile of drugs; however, pharmacovigilance studies comparing persistence and safety of biologic therapies in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are scant. The aim of this study was to prospectively investigate persistence together with safety profiles of biologics in a cohort of patients diagnosed with Crohn's Disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) followed by the IBD unit of Messina and treated with infliximab (IFX), adalimumab (ADA), golimumab (GOL), vedolizumab (VED), and ustekinumab (UST) from 2017 through 2021. Descriptive and treatment persistence analyses with predictors for discontinuation and occurrence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) were performed. A total of 675 IBD patients were enrolled. A higher persistence rate was noted for UST and ADA in the first year (83.8% and 83.1%, respectively) and for IFX in the fifth year of treatment (58.1%). GOL, VED, and UST—all used as second/third-line therapies—seemed to have a higher risk of non-persistence than IFX (in order HR: 2.19; CI 95%: 1.33–3.61, 1.45; 1.04–2.04, 2.25; 1.25–4.07) as well as switchers and those who had at least one ADR (18.1; 13.22–24.68 and 1.55; 1.20–1.99, respectively). The reported ADRs, which were generally mild–moderate, were largely known. However, real-world data should be implemented to further study undetected safety concerns, including risk of malignancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is initiated by a group of cancer cells called leukaemia stem cells (LSC). These LSC can survive current tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatments and, upon treatment withdrawal, are able to re-initiate the disease. Thus, eradicating the LSC would likely cure CML. In this study, we have identified a number of genes whose expression is different between LSC and their healthy counterparts (haematopoietic stem cells) but are not affected by TKI treatment. We hypothesised that these genes may be potential therapeutic targets against LSC and used two different drugs, gemtuzumab–ozogamicin and cyclosporine A, to treat CML in vitro. We found that both drugs have a stronger effect on CML cells than on healthy cells. Therefore, we propose that the list of genes we identified could represent a novel source of therapeutic targets against CML. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) have revolutionised the treatment of CML. However, TKI do not eliminate the leukaemia stem cells (LSC), which can re-initiate the disease. Thus, finding new therapeutic targets in CML LSC is key to finding a curative treatment. Using microarray datasets, we defined a list of 227 genes that were differentially expressed in CML LSC compared to the healthy controls but were not affected by TKI in vitro. Two of them, CD33 and PPIF, are targeted by gemtuzumab–ozogamicin and cyclosporin A, respectively. We treated CML and the control CD34+ cells with either drug with or without imatinib to investigate the therapeutic potential of the TKI-independent gene expression programme. Cyclosporine A, in combination with imatinib, reduced the number of CML CFC compared with non-CML controls, but only at supra-therapeutic concentrations. Gemtuzumab–ozogamicin showed an EC50 of 146 ng/mL, below the plasma peak concentration of 630 ng/mL observed in the AML patients and below the EC50 of 3247 ng/mL observed in the non-CML cells. Interestingly, gemtuzumab–ozogamicin seems to promote cell cycle progression in CML CD34+ cells and demonstrated activation of the RUNX1 pathway in an RNAseq experiment. This suggests that targeting the TKI-independent genes in CML LSC could be exploited for the development of new therapies in CML. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study characterized real-world demographic and baseline clinical characteristics, as well as treatment persistence and adherence, in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who had newly initiated tofacitinib treatment. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients aged 18 years or older in the IBM MarketScan™ US database with at least one tofacitinib claim (first = index) between December 14, 2017 and April 30, 2019; PsA diagnoses on/within 12 months pre-index; and no diagnoses of rheumatoid arthritis any time pre-index. Patients were continuously enrolled for 12 months pre-index and 6 months post-index, with no pre-index claims for tofacitinib. Patient demographic and clinical characteristics on the day of index, and history of advanced treatments (including tofacitinib monotherapy or combination therapy), were recorded. Outcomes at 6 months post-index included tofacitinib persistence (less than 60-day gap without tofacitinib treatment) and adherence (proportion of days covered [PDC] and medication possession ratio 80% or higher). Results: Of the 10,354 patients with tofacitinib claims within the study period, 318 patients with PsA met the inclusion criteria. More than 60% of patients received tofacitinib monotherapy post-index, with a mean duration of PsA of 760.5 days at index. For patients who received tofacitinib combination therapy post-index, methotrexate was the most common concomitant conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug. At 6 months post-index, persistence was similar in patients receiving tofacitinib monotherapy (69.8%) versus combination therapy (73.1%); adherence (as measured by PDC ≥ 0.8) was numerically lower in patients receiving tofacitinib monotherapy (56.8%) versus combination therapy (65.5%). Conclusions: This analysis of US-based claims data described patients who had newly initiated tofacitinib treatment an average of 2 years after PsA diagnosis, with approximately two-thirds of patients receiving tofacitinib monotherapy. Observed rates of tofacitinib persistence were similar across patients who received tofacitinib monotherapy and combination therapy 6 months after initiation; adherence rates were numerically lower in patients receiving monotherapy. Plain Language Summary: Tofacitinib is a drug approved to treat patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) that has been shown to improve PsA symptoms and quality of life in controlled clinical trials. However, there is not much information on everyday use of tofacitinib outside of clinical trials in the USA. This study is one of the first to describe the characteristics of patients with PsA in the USA who take tofacitinib, including their typical age, sex, where they live, how long they have had PsA, and how they use tofacitinib. Use of tofacitinib included how patients followed tofacitinib prescription timings and dose (adherence) and how long they took tofacitinib for after it was prescribed (persistence). We used data collected from a US health insurance claims database (IBM MarketScan™) for patients with PsA and at least one claim for tofacitinib. In total, 318 patients were included and over 60% of them received tofacitinib therapy only (monotherapy; no conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug [csDMARD] therapy). For patients treated with both tofacitinib and a csDMARD (combination therapy), methotrexate was the most common drug prescribed. Six months after their first prescription of tofacitinib, around 70% of patients were still taking tofacitinib (monotherapy or combination therapy). However, a slightly lower number of patients taking tofacitinib monotherapy were taking it as originally instructed (adherence 57%), compared with those taking tofacitinib combination therapy (adherence 66%). Our results provide valuable information on the use of tofacitinib in US real-life settings outside of clinical trials and could help to improve the quality of care for patients with PsA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) may require device-aided therapies (DAT) for adequate symptom control. However, long-term, real-world efficacy and safety data are limited. This study aims to describe real-world, long-term treatment persistence for patients with PD treated with levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG). The study also aims to describe patient profiles, treatment discontinuation rates, co-medication patterns, monotherapy rates, and rates of healthcare visits and their associated costs for patients receiving all forms of DAT (deep brain stimulation [DBS], continuous subcutaneous apomorphine infusion [CSAI], or LCIG). Methods: In this retrospective analysis of the Israeli Maccabi Healthcare Services database, adult patients with PD were analyzed in three cohorts, based on DAT (DBS, CSAI, or LCIG). The primary endpoint was LCIG treatment persistence 12 months after initiation. Results: This analysis included 161 DAT-treated patients (LCIG, n = 62; DBS, n = 76; CSAI, n = 23). Among those who discontinued, the mean time to discontinuation was 86.4 months for LCIG and 42.4 months for CSAI (p = 0.046). Twelve months after initiation, 14.3% LCIG, 10.7% DBS, and 5.9% CSAI patients were not receiving any additional anti-parkinsonian therapy. At the last recorded visit, 28.6% LCIG, 13.3% DBS, and 5.9% CSAI patients received DAT as monotherapy. During the first 12 months after initiation, 45.2% LCIG, 65.2% CSAI, and 1.3% DBS patients had no reported hospitalization days. Annual healthcare visit costs decreased following LCIG initiation (US$9491 vs. $8146) and increased following DBS ($4113 vs. $7677) and CSAI ($6378 vs. $8277). Conclusion: DAT are well maintained in patients with advanced PD. These retrospective data suggest that patients receiving LCIG may have higher long-term persistence rates compared with patients receiving CSAI. A subgroup of patients was treated with DAT as monotherapy without additional oral anti-parkinsonian therapy, with LCIG showing the highest rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When conceptualising engagement with treatment, it may be useful to contrast 'disease', which refers to underlying psychobiological dysfunction, with 'illness', which describes the experience of the person with that disease. Knowledge of disease, as well as understanding of illness, including patients' explanatory models of symptoms, may be useful in facilitating shared decision-making. Ideally, physicians are able to integrate evidence-based medicine with values-based medicine by combining the best research evidence with patients' unique needs and preferences. This, in turn, requires taking a systematic approach to the assessment of a range of domains (i.e. symptom profile, clinical subtype, severity and comorbidity) in individuals with depression, and individualising treatment accordingly. While data are now available from a range of randomised clinical trials addressing treatments for depressive symptoms, it is also notable that a decrease in symptom severity does not necessarily correlate with an increase in functioning, which highlights the need to monitor patients for the effect of treatment on a range of outcomes including comorbid anxiety, emotional responsiveness, and sleep quality. Importantly, recent epidemiological data emphasise the importance of persistence with treatment; most patients with major depression who persist with treatment eventually feel helped. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dose–escalation is a common practice to optimize treatment with subcutaneously administered biologicals in Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). However, limited data is available on the extent of dose-escalation in real-life. Here, we analyzed treatment persistence, dose–escalation, concomitant corticosteroid use, and costs of adalimumab, golimumab, and ustekinumab in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). This was a nationwide, retrospective, non-interventional registry study. All adult patients who were diagnosed with CD or UC and had purchased adalimumab, golimumab, or ustekinumab from Finnish pharmacies between 2008 and 2018 were included in the study and followed up for 24 months after treatment initiation. A total of 2884 patients were included in the analyses. For adalimumab, treatment persistence was higher for CD patients compared to UC patients both at months 12 (46.2% versus 37.1%; p <.0001) and 24 (26.1% versus 19.7%; p < 0.0001). For golimumab (UC), treatment persistence was 48.3% at month 12 and 28.1% at month 24. The 12-month treatment persistence rate for patients on ustekinumab (CD) was 47.1%. Cumulative doses exceeding the regular dosing according to the summary of product characteristics (SPC), was observed for adalimumab in CD during the first 6 months of treatment (62.9% of the treatment periods), golimumab in the later stages of the UC treatment (52–54% of treatment periods at months 7–24), and ustekinumab during the first 6 months (70.7%). Based on this study, dose–escalation of subcutaneously administered biologicals is a common clinical practice in IBD. This has implications for treatment costs, use of concomitant medications, and treatment outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Optimization of treatment with biologics is currently an unmet need for patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Real-world studies provide neutral estimates of drug efficacy and safety within unselected patient populations and allow for the recognition of specific characteristics that affect response to therapy. Aims: We aimed to depict the efficacy of vedolizumab in patients with UC in a real-world setting and identify prognosticators of improved outcomes. Methods: Patients with active UC who commenced treatment with vedolizumab were prospectively followed up. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and clinical/endoscopic-reported outcomes were recorded at baseline and at weeks 14 and 54. Predefined endpoints of early and persistent efficacy were analyzed against clinical characteristics to identify prognostic factors for response. Results: We included 96 patients (anti-TNF-exposed = 38.5%). At week 14, 73 patients (76%) had clinical response and 54 (56.3%) clinical remission. At week 54, the primary endpoint of vedolizumab persistence was met by 72 patients (75%), whereas steroid-free clinical remission by 59.4%. Among patients who had endoscopy, rates for mucosal healing (Mayo endoscopic score of 0) were 29.8% at week 14 and 44.6% at week 54, respectively. Vedolizumab treatment led to significant improvements in quality of life. Corticosteroid-refractory or anti-TNF-refractory disease, articular manifestations, and high baseline UC-PRO2 were associated with decreased efficacy of vedolizumab in the primary and secondary outcomes. Conclusions: Vedolizumab is characterized by high efficacy and long-term treatment persistence in UC. More aggressive disease, as indicated by refractoriness to steroids or anti-TNFs and elevated baseline PROs, may predict suboptimal response and help pre-treatment prognostic stratification of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Persistence and adherence to psoriasis treatments reflect overall drug effectiveness, tolerability, and convenience. Limited data are available on the treatment patterns of ixekizumab, an interleukin (IL)-17A antagonist, vs. guselkumab, an IL-23 inhibitor. Our objective was to evaluate real-life psoriasis drug treatment patterns with ixekizumab vs. guselkumab. Methods: This retrospective observational study used United States insurance claims data from IBM Watson MarketScan Databases to analyze treatment patterns (including adherence, persistence, time on monotherapy, switching, and use of concomitant medications) for patients with 1 year, ≥ 6 months, and up to 30 months of follow-up. Outcomes were compared between ixekizumab and guselkumab on the balanced sample after applying inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW). Results: Data for 1414 eligible patients (ixekizumab, N = 674 and guselkumab, N = 740) were assessed. Over the 1-year follow-up, adherence was greater for ixekizumab vs. guselkumab when evaluated by proportion of days covered ≥ 80% [odds ratio (OR) 1.77 (95% confidence interval, 1.41, 2.21), p < 0.001] and by medication possession ratio ≥ 80% [OR = 1.92 (1.54, 2.38), p < 0.001]. Persistence was longer for ixekizumab vs. guselkumab with a 60-day allowable gap [non-persistence hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval): 0.80 (0.69, 0.93), p = 0.005], but there were no differences with a 90-day allowable gap [HR = 0.98 (0.83, 1.17), p = 0.850]. Results assessed in patients with ≥ 6 months follow-up confirmed these findings. This retrospective analysis of a United States claims database used prescription refill data to estimate persistence/adherence. Conclusions: Based on real-world evidence using claims data, patients with psoriasis treated with ixekizumab had a greater adherence to and an equal or greater persistence with therapy vs. patients treated with guselkumab. Plain Language Summary: In real-world settings, how consistently patients take a drug (adherence) and how long they continue taking it (persistence) are thought to reflect patients' satisfaction with the combination of efficacy and tolerability of the treatment. In this study of patients with psoriasis, we compared these measures—regularity of prescription refills and continued time on drug—between patients receiving ixekizumab or guselkumab for their psoriasis. This information was taken from a large insurance claims database, and so reflects results among commercially insured patients in the United States. We found that patients taking ixekizumab more consistently obtained prescription refills during the study period. Patients taking ixekizumab or guselkumab continued treatment for similar lengths of time when we allowed a longer gap of 90 days between prescription refills, but when a shorter gap of 60 days was allowed, those on ixekizumab spent a longer time on treatment. The findings were consistent regardless of prior treatment with other similar drugs (biologics). Overall, these findings indicate that for ixekizumab, which is dosed once every 4 weeks, and guselkumab, which is dosed once every 8 weeks, patients took ixekizumab more regularly and continued on the drug for about the same or a longer amount of time compared to patients taking guselkumab. These results may help dermatology practitioners in selecting biologic drugs for their patients with psoriasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Real-world data on long-term treatment patterns associated with interleukin-17A inhibitors in plaque psoriasis are lacking.Objective: To compare ixekizumab or secukinumab treatment patterns over a 24-month period among plaque psoriasis patients.Methods: Adult patients with psoriasis who had 1 or more claims for ixekizumab or secukinumab between March 1, 2016, and October 31, 2019, and with 24 months of follow-up after starting treatment were identified from IBM MarketScan claims databases. Inverse probability of treatment weighting and multivariable models were employed to balance cohorts and estimate the risks of nonpersistence, discontinuation, and switching and odds of highly adherent treatment (proportion of days covered ≥ 80%).Results: A total of 471 ixekizumab and 990 secukinumab users were included. Compared to secukinumab, ixekizumab use was associated with a 20% lower risk of nonpersistence (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.70-0.92), a 17% lower risk of discontinuation (hazard ratio, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.72-0.96), and a 42% higher odds of being highly adherent to treatment (odds ratio, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.12-1.80). No difference in risk of switching was observed (hazard ratio, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.68-1.01).Limitations: Disease severity and clinical outcomes were unavailable.Conclusion: Over 24 months, ixekizumab users exhibited better persistence and adherence, and a lower risk of discontinuation than secukinumab users in real-world settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Masatoshi Arikawa,1 Kazumi Ota,2 Takaharu Azekawa,1 Shizuko Ohashi,1 Yoichi Funaoka,1 Hiroshi Yoshiie,1 Haruka Koshi,1 Yohei Takaishi,1 Saeka Nakao1 1Department of Psychiatry, Shioiri Mental Clinic, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan; 2Department of Psychiatry, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, JapanCorrespondence: Masatoshi ArikawaDepartment of Psychiatry, Shioiri Mental Clinic, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, JapanEmail masatoshi.arikawa@gmail.comPurpose: One of the challenges of treating schizophrenia is how to improve persistence with outpatient treatments. Lengthening community life by improving persistence and preventing relapse and rehospitalization can have positive influence on the patients’ personal recovery and well-being. In Japan, there is “Medical Expenses for Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities” (“Jiritsu-shien-iryo-hi” in Japanese) which is the public financial support system for psychiatric outpatient treatments. However, it is not clear how this financial support affects persistence with outpatient treatments for patients with schizophrenia. The purpose of the study is to investigate how the financial support affects persistence with outpatient treatments for schizophrenia.Patients and Methods: Data of outpatients who visited the clinic between October 1, 2006 and September 30, 2016 was collected. The variables for the analysis were continuation and discontinuation of treatment of those who used the financial support (user) and those who did not (nonuser). The covariates were sex, age, time from onset of the disease to first visit to the clinic, number of hospitalizations in the past, use of psychiatric day care, and use of psychiatric home nursing care. Kaplan–Meier analysis was performed using propensity score matching. The observation period was five years from the first visit to the clinic.Results: Among 1155 patients who were diagnosed with schizophrenia, 718 were excluded, based on the exclusion criteria. The propensity score matching was performed for 437 patients, and the subjects for the final analysis were 278. Average survival period was 1.09 (SD ± 1.66) years for nonuser, 3.02 (SD ± 1.77) years for users, and users exhibited a significantly longer number of years of outpatient treatments (P< 0.001).Conclusion: The results indicated that use of the financial support can contribute to persistence with outpatient treatments.Keywords: schizophrenia, treatment persistence, financial support, jiritsu-shien-iryo-hi

Objective: This study aimed to describe the real-world effectiveness and treatment persistence among patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with monotherapy and combination therapy tofacitinib and biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs). Methods: This was a post hoc analysis of a retrospective, non-interventional study that extracted data for patients treated with tofacitinib or bDMARDs from the Australian OPAL dataset between March 2015 and September 2018. Monotherapy tofacitinib and bDMARDs and combination therapy tofactinib and bDMARDs were propensity score matched and treatment effectiveness and persistence of the groups were evaluated. Results: In the bDMARD and tofacitinib monotherapy and combination therapy matched populations there were 1300 bDMARD initiators (n = 564 monotherapy) and 650 tofacitinib initiators (n = 282 monotherapy). In the bDMARD and tofacitinib monotherapy matched groups, 62.9% and 66.7% were in DAS-28 CRP disease remission after 18 months of treatment, respectively. In the combination therapy bDMARD and tofacitinib groups, 50% and 58.9% were in DAS-28 CRP disease remission after 18 months, respectively. The median treatment persistence was similar between the monotherapy bDMARD and tofacitinib treatment groups (36.7 months (95% CI 27.4 to "not reached') and 34.2 months (95%CI 30.3 to "not reached") respectively) as well as the combination therapy bDMARD and tofacitinib groups (32.2 months (95% CI 25.7 to 34.4) and 32.7 months (95%CI 28.7 to "not reached", respectively). Conclusions: Patients receiving combination therapy with tofacitinib or bDMARDs had higher disease activity scores at index than patients receiving monotherapy. Monotherapy with tofacitinib or bDMARDs, and combination therapy with tofacitinib or bDMARDs demonstrated similar treatment effectiveness and persistence, respectively. Key Points • This study provides real-world evidence regarding effectiveness, treatment persistence, and treatment patterns, among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with monotherapy or combination therapy tofacitinib. • The study suggests that monotherapy and combination therapy tofacitinib is an effective intervention in RA with persistence and effectiveness comparable to bDMARDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Biologic treatments including subcutaneous tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors (SC-TNFis) have greatly improved disease management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) (collectively inflammatory arthritis, IA). Nevertheless, some patients discontinue their first-line treatment; for them, one option may be a subsequent line of the same treatment class (i.e., cycling). The aim of this study was to assess treatment persistence between first- and second-line therapy in Swedish IA patients cycling on SC-TNFis. Methods: Using data from the Swedish Health Data Registers, adult IA patients filling prescriptions between May 1, 2010, and October 31, 2016, for a SC-TNFi (adalimumab, etanercept, certolizumab and golimumab) were included. Treatment persistence was derived based on information from filled prescriptions and a 60-day grace period. Unadjusted and adjusted marginal Cox proportional hazards models were fitted to estimate the relative risk of discontinuation across treatment lines, using robust sandwich covariance matrix estimates to account for intrapatient dependence (i.e., multiple treatment lines per patient). The analysis was restricted to the first two lines of treatment. Results: Of the eligible patients, 3181 were identified as cyclers. Among these, most were female (68%), and 46%, 28% and 26% were diagnosed with RA, AS and PsA, respectively. Both the unadjusted and adjusted analyses showed that the relative risk of discontinuing SC-TNFi treatment was significantly lower in second compared to first line (hazard ratio; 0.60 [0.57, 0.63] and HR; 0.59 [0.56, 0.62]). This finding was also consistent across IA indications. Conclusions: In this study of patients cycling on SC-TNFis in IA, persistence was greater in second- compared to first-line treatment. The finding was consistent across all IA indications. Hence, patients who discontinue their first-line treatment may still benefit from treatment with an alternative SC-TNFi as a second-line therapy in IA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Real-world data comparing effectiveness of ixekizumab (IXE) and secukinumab (SEC) among biologic-experienced patients are limited. This study compared treatment patterns over 18 months among biologic-experienced patients with psoriasis receiving IXE or SEC in the USA. Methods: A retrospective observational study using administrative claims data from IBM® Watson Health MarketScan® Research Databases included adult patients with ≥ 1 inpatient or ≥ 2 non-diagnostic (≥ 30 days apart) outpatient claim/s with diagnosis of psoriasis between March 1, 2015 and October 31, 2019, and ≥ 1 claim/s for index drugs, IXE or SEC, between March 1, 2016 and October 31, 2019. Patients had to have ≥ 1 claim/s for biologics indicated for psoriasis in the 6-month pre-period. During the 18-month follow-up, treatment adherence (proportion of days covered [PDC]), high adherence (PDC ≥ 80%), persistence, discontinuation, reinitiation, and switching were assessed. To address cohort imbalances, inverse probability of treatment weighting was employed. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratio for high adherence. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratio for non-persistence, discontinuation, and switching. Results: Overall, 411 IXE and 780 SEC users were included. After weighting, IXE users had significantly higher rate of high treatment adherence (42% vs. 35%, p = 0.019), higher persistence rate (44.9% vs. 36.9%, p = 0.007), lower discontinuation rate (48.4% vs. 56.0%, p = 0.012), and lower switching rate (26.6% vs. 34.0%, p = 0.009) compared with SEC users. After multivariable adjustment, compared with SEC, IXE use was associated with 36% higher odds of high treatment adherence (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.05–1.74), 20% lower risk of treatment non-persistence (HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.68–0.93), 19% lower risk of discontinuation (HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.68–0.96), and 25% lower risk of switching (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.60–0.93). Conclusion: This study suggests that IXE treatment is associated with significantly higher adherence rates and significantly lower non-persistence, discontinuation, and switching compared with SEC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To investigate medication adherence and treatment persistence in patients receiving proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in Japan., Methods: Using an anonymized claims database from January 2015 to December 2021, data on adult patients at high risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or with a history of coronary artery disease (CAD) who had at least 1 prescription for PCSK9-mAbs were retrieved., Results: In total, 276 patients were analyzed. The cumulative treatment persistence rate after 1 year was 67.0%. A multivariate analysis revealed that better adherence to oral low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)-lowering therapy in the year before starting PCSK9-mAbs (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.16) and a history of CAD for secondary prevention (adjusted OR 2.44) were associated with better adherence to PCSK9-mAbs in the first year. Better adherence to oral LDL-C-lowering therapy in the year before starting PCSK9-mAbs (adjusted OR 2.32) and a history of CAD for secondary prevention (adjusted OR 3.03) were also associated with a lower rate of discontinuation of PCSK9-mAbs. Age, sex, comorbidity, number of tablets taken daily (all medications), and number of hospital or clinic visits in the year prior to starting PCSK9-mAbs did not affect the persistence rate or adherence to PCSK9-mAbs in the multivariate analyses., Conclusion: Better adherence to oral LDL-C-lowering therapy and secondary prevention were identified as factors associated with better medication adherence and treatment persistence in patients receiving PCSK9-mAbs within the first year.

Post-marketing surveillance is essential to evaluate the risk/benefit profile of drugs; however, pharmacovigilance studies comparing persistence and safety of biologic therapies in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are scant. The aim of this study was to prospectively investigate persistence together with safety profiles of biologics in a cohort of patients diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) followed by the IBD unit of Messina and treated with infliximab (IFX), adalimumab (ADA), golimumab (GOL), vedolizumab (VED), and ustekinumab (UST) from 2017 through 2021. Descriptive and treatment persistence analyses with predictors for discontinuation and occurrence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) were performed. A total of 675 IBD patients were enrolled. A higher persistence rate was noted for UST and ADA in the first year (83.8% and 83.1%, respectively) and for IFX in the fifth year of treatment (58.1%). GOL, VED, and UST—all used as second/third-line therapies—seemed to have a higher risk of non-persistence than IFX (in order HR: 2.19; CI 95%: 1.33–3.61, 1.45; 1.04–2.04, 2.25; 1.25–4.07) as well as switchers and those who had at least one ADR (18.1; 13.22–24.68 and 1.55; 1.20–1.99, respectively). The reported ADRs, which were generally mild–moderate, were largely known. However, real-world data should be implemented to further study undetected safety concerns, including risk of malignancy.

Purpose: To analyze treatment persistence and treatment outcomes of vedolizumab as first-line biological treatment in Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) patients in a Finnish real-world setting., Methods: Observational, retrospective, multi-center chart review study that included adult CD and UC patients initiating vedolizumab as first-line biological treatment between 2014 and 2020., Results: The cohort consisted of 54 CD and 69 UC patients. At month 12, treatment persistence was 84.9 % in CD and 64.7 % in UC. Most vedolizumab discontinuations (CD, n = 11; UC, n = 26) were due to inefficacy. Discontinuations due to adverse events were rare (n < 5). Efficacy improvements were observed in treatment persistent patients at 12 months vs. baseline in the Harvey-Bradshaw Index (CD, 1.8 vs. 3.9, p = 0.001), Partial Mayo Score (UC, 1.0 vs. 4.9, p < 0.001), Physician's Global Assessment (CD, 0.9 vs. 1.8, p < 0.001; UC, 0.4 vs. 2.1, p < 0.001), along with positive endoscopic and biochemical outcomes. Clinical remission was 90.9 % vs. 63.0 % for CD, and 81.6 % vs. 12.3 % for UC, while corticosteroid use was 15.9 % vs. 53.7 % for CD, and 14.6 % vs. 92.8 % for UC at 12 months and baseline, respectively., Conclusion: Vedolizumab was associated with improvements in efficacy, endoscopic activity, biochemical parameters, and decreased corticosteroid burden when used as a first-line biological treatment., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:Tero Ylisaukko-oja reports financial support was provided by MedEngine Oy. Sarah Smith reports financial support was provided by MedEngine Oy. Jari Jokelainen reports financial support was provided by MedEngine Oy. Paula Haiko reports financial support was provided by Takeda Oy. Anja Eberl reports was provided by Janssen-Cilag SAS. Clas-Göran af Björkesten reports financial support was provided by AbbVie Inc. Clas-Göran af Björkesten reports financial support was provided by Bristol Myers Squibb Co. Clas-Göran af Björkesten reports financial support was provided by Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. Clas-Göran af Björkesten reports financial support was provided by Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. Clas-Göran af Björkesten reports financial support was provided by Pfizer Inc. Clas-Göran af Björkesten reports financial support was provided by Takeda Oy. Clas-Göran af Björkesten reports financial support was provided by Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. Clas-Göran af Björkesten reports financial support was provided by Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc. Clas-Göran af Björkesten reports financial support was provided by Vifor (International) AG. Heikki Nuutinen reports financial support was provided by Takeda Oy. Pauliina Molander reports financial support was provided by AbbVie Oy. Pauliina Molander reports financial support was provided by Bristol Myers Squibb Co. Pauliina Molander reports financial support was provided by Gilead Sciences. Pauliina Molander reports financial support was provided by Janssen-Cilag SAS. Pauliina Molander reports financial support was provided by Orion Corporation. Pauliina Molander reports financial support was provided by Pfizer. Pauliina Molander reports financial support was provided by Sandoz Inc. Pauliina Molander reports financial support was provided by Takeda Oy. Pauliina Molander reports financial support was provided by Tillotts Pharma AG. Pauliina Molander reports financial support was provided by Viatris. Ritva Koskela reports financial support was provided by Pfizer Inc. Ritva Koskela reports financial support was provided by Vifor (International) AG. Ritva Koskela reports financial support was provided by Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. Ritva Koskela reports financial support was provided by Takeda Oy. Ritva Koskela reports financial support was provided by Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc. Taina Sipponen reports financial support was provided by AbbVie Oy. Taina Sipponen reports financial support was provided by Bristol Myers Squibb Co. Taina Sipponen reports financial support was provided by Pfizer. Taina Sipponen reports financial support was provided by Takeda Oy. Taina Sipponen reports financial support was provided by Celltrion, Inc. Taina Sipponen reports financial support was provided by Janssen-Cilag SAS. Tero Ylisaukko-oja reports a relationship with MedEngine Oy that includes: equity or stocks., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Abstract Background Wilson disease (WD) is a genetic disorder involving impaired copper metabolism, which presents with hepatic, neurological, and/or psychiatric manifestations. WD requires lifelong pharmacotherapy and treatment persistence may be problematic. We studied social characteristics, education, and work-related activities and how they are affected by WD symptoms and treatment persistence. Methods In a cross-sectional study, data on demographic characteristics, achieved education level, household and marital status, plus a primary source of income were collected from 202 Polish subjects (mean ± standard deviation age of 36.4 ± 9.9 years at assessment) with WD. Results Overall, WD appeared to have a negative impact on achieved level of education and influenced the ability to work as compared with the general Polish population. Patients with neurological manifestations less often achieved upper-secondary/post-secondary or higher education compared with those with hepatic manifestations (65.5% vs. 83.6%; p = 0.003). They also significantly less frequently stated salary (19.6% vs. 56.2%; p

Introduction: There are limited real-world data on the prescribing of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of the CoDiC® database of the Japan Diabetes Clinical Data Management Study Group (JDDM). Demographic and clinical characteristics, concomitant treatment patterns, and GLP-1 RA treatment persistence or modification in patients with T2DM initiating GLP-1 RA therapy were evaluated. Results: The analysis included 932 eligible patients with T2DM who had their first GLP-1 RA prescription (index date) between September 2016 and July 2018. Mean age was 63.8 years and 56.0% were male. Most patients had an index GLP-1 RA of dulaglutide (65.7%) or liraglutide (29.1%). Common comorbidities were obesity (58.7%), hypertension (54.7%), dyslipidemia (52.0%), retinopathy (11.3%), and nephropathy (10.2%). Mean hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels decreased from 8.3 to 7.8% over 6 months after GLP-1 RA initiation, and the proportion of patients achieving HbA1c < 7.0% increased from 14.4% at index date to 22.9% at 6 months. Reductions occurred in mean body weight, body mass index, triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and adjusted urinary albumin over 6 months. Antidiabetic medication use decreased after GLP-1 RA initiation, whereas non-antidiabetic medication prescribing showed little change. Index GLP-1 RA persistence rates were 80.5%, 66.2%, and 51.6% at 6, 12, and 18 months post-index, respectively, with a median persistence until discontinuation or switch of 600 days. Persistence rates at 6, 12, and 18 months post-index, respectively, were 81.9%, 70.7%, and 65.4% for dulaglutide and 79.7%, 60.0%, and 30.4% for liraglutide. Conclusion: The study shows real-world benefits of GLP-1 RA therapy for T2DM, including improvements in HbA1c, body weight, and blood lipid profile, and supports the high rates of long-term persistence previously reported with dulaglutide, the GLP-1 RA most commonly prescribed for T2DM in Japanese clinical practice. Plain Language Summary: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are drugs that patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) take to help control their blood sugar levels. In Japan, the GLP-1 RAs that doctors can prescribe are dulaglutide, exenatide, liraglutide, and lixisenatide as of May 2020. We conducted a study of how GLP-1 RAs are used to treat patients with T2DM in Japanese real-world clinical practice. We used a large database of anonymous information from hospitals and clinics in Japan. Over 900 adult patients started their first GLP-1 RA treatment for T2DM between September 2016 and July 2018. Before these patients started GLP-1 RA treatment, many were overweight, had high blood pressure, and had abnormal levels of lipids in their blood. Six months after starting GLP-1 RA treatment, on average these patients had lower hemoglobin A1c (a measure of average blood sugar levels), lower body weight, and better blood lipid levels than before they started GLP-1 RA treatment. Dulaglutide was the most common GLP-1 RA prescribed, then liraglutide. After 6 months, most patients (four-fifths) continued to use their GLP-1 RA treatment without stopping or changing to another treatment. After 18 months, half of the patients were still using their GLP-1 RA. Two-thirds of patients on dulaglutide and one-third of patients on liraglutide continued the treatment after 18 months. This study shows that GLP-1 RAs can benefit patients with T2DM in real-world clinical practice. It also shows that patients may be able to take long-term dulaglutide treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Poor adherence to asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease maintenance therapies impairs health outcomes. Proven and cost-effective programs to promote adherence and persistence are not yet in regular widespread use. Implementation costs are a potential barrier to uptake of such programs., Objective: We undertook a systematic literature review and narrative synthesis of studies investigating the cost-effectiveness of treatment adherence-promoting programs or that determined their impact on health care budget directly or via health care resource use (HCRU)., Methods: We identified relevant publications using Medline and PreMEDLINE (PubMed), Embase (Embase.com, Elsevier), and EconLit for publications between January 2000 and July 2021. We also searched clinical trial databases and selected conference proceedings., Results: Of 1,910 potentially relevant articles, 26 met prespecified inclusion criteria and underwent data extraction. Eleven reported a direct assessment of adherence, 15 included economic evaluations, and 17 described HCRU. None included an analysis of biologic medication use. When they were studied, interventions were often found to be highly cost-effective, with dominant incremental cost-effectiveness ratios in some cases. Reductions in direct costs and HCRU (health care visits, hospital admissions, and/or the use of medications, including add-on/reliever treatment and antibiotics) were frequently reported. Reported use of maintenance treatments improved in some studies. Counseling and/or digitally informed programs were used in all cases in which favorable outcomes were observed., Conclusions: Adherence-promoting interventions are mostly cost-effective and often result in reduced HCRU and associated costs. Multidisciplinary care involving one-to-one advice and digitally enhanced communications appear to offer the greatest benefit., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Mustafa Acar,1 Prabhjot Juneja,2 Malcolm Handel1 1Janssen-Cilag Pty Ltd, Sydney, NSW, Australia; 2Prospection Pty Ltd., Sydney, NSW, Australia Introduction: To describe the persistence of treatment with subcutaneous tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) adalimumab, etanercept, and golimumab in immune-mediated rheumatic disease (rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis) by treatment sequence (first-line treatment, second-line or further lines of treatment). Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted using the Australian Commonwealth Department of Human Services Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme 10% sample data from January 1, 2010, to June 30, 2016. Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme indications were used to identify patient prescriptions for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis. A patient was considered persistent until a 3-month gap period where a prescription was not dispensed. The 3-month gap interval was chosen because only 1% of all discontinuations occurred beyond this 3-month period. Results: Data from 2,612 first-line patients were included. Treatment discontinuation among first-line patients treated with etanercept or adalimumab was not significantly different from those treated with golimumab (HR 1.10, 95% CI 0.95–1.28, P=0.22; HR 1.06, 95% CI 0.93–1.22, P=0.39; respectively). Among the 1,276 patients in the second-line cohort (etanercept=41%, adalimumab=41%, golimumab=18%) discontinuation was significantly higher for patients on etanercept compared with golimumab (HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.03–1.50, P=0.03); but not for adalimumab compared with golimumab (HR 1.11, 95% CI 0.91–1.34, P=0.31). In the third-line setting, treatment persistence with etanercept was longer than golimumab (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.59–0.96, P=0.02), but there was no difference between golimumab and adalimumab. Similar findings occurred in the propensity score matched population. Conclusion: Our study shows there is variance in real-world persistence to TNFi in patients with immune-mediated rheumatic disease by line of therapy, with the time on therapy decreasing by line. Australian persistence has been reported at lower overall rates than international evidence. Keywords: tumor necrosis factor inhibitors, arthritis, psoriatic, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, treatment persistence

Abstract Background Persistence on-treatment with antimuscarinics in patients with overactive bladder (OAB) is reported to be sub-optimal. This retrospective, longitudinal, observational cohort study assessed treatment persistence with β3-adrenoceptor agonists (i.e. mirabegron) and antimuscarinics, both classes of OAB pharmacotherapy, in patients with OAB in Spain. Methods Adults who received mirabegron or an antimuscarinic in routine clinical practice (1 June–31 October 2014), were identified from anonymised prescription data within the Spanish Cegedim Electronic Medical Records database. The primary endpoint, treatment persistence (time to treatment discontinuation [TTD] and the proportion of patients remaining on-treatment after 12 months), was unadjusted for potential confounders. Multivariate Cox regression models of persistence, adjusted for baseline characteristics, were used to compare differences in treatment groups. Adjusted subgroup analyses (target OAB drug, age, treatment status and sex) and sensitivity analyses (extending the time used to define treatment discontinuation from 30 days [base-case] to 45, 60 or 90 days without prescription renewal) were also performed. Results Overall, 1798 patients received mirabegron (N = 1169) or an antimuscarinic (N = 629); the mean age was 66.42 years. Median TTD was longer for mirabegron versus antimuscarinics (90 vs 56 days) and a higher proportion of patients who received mirabegron were persistent after 12 months (20.2% vs 10.2%); multivariate analyses indicated significantly greater persistence with mirabegron versus antimuscarinics (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.52; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.37–1.70; p

Globally more than 1 billion people have hypertension and it is predicted that because of ageing populations and increasing sedentary lifestyles, this figure will rise to about 1.5 billion by 2025. Elevated blood pressure (BP) is the leading cause of premature death and morbidity due to stroke and ischemic heart disease. Hypertension is also a major risk factor for heart failure, atrial fibrillation, chronic kidney disease, peripheral arterial disease and cognitive decline. This article discusses the current evidencebased treatment guidelines and pressing temporal issues in optimal blood pressure control.