Real-World Patient Experience of Switching Biologic Treatment in Inflammatory Arthritis and Ulcerative Colitis – A Systematic Literature Review

Karin Luttropp, 1 Johan Dalén, 1 Axel Svedbom, 1 Mary Dozier, 2 Christopher M Black, 3 Amy Puenpatom 3 1ICON Clinical Research, Plc., Stockholm, Sweden; 2ICON Clinical Research, Plc., Boston, MA, USA; 3Center for Observational and Real-World Evidence, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USACorrespondence: Amy PuenpatomCenter of Observational and Real-World Evidence, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ Tel +1 267 305 0620Fax +1 215 850 4549Email puenpatom.amy@merck.comPurpose: To obtain an up-to-date overview of the measurement of patient experience of switching biologic treatment in patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA) or ulcerative colitis (UC). Secondary objectives included summarizing the types of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) used (if any), and related findings; and summarizing medical and non-medical reasons for treatment switch and/or discontinuation.Methods: A systematic literature review (SLR) was performed, searching Medline and Embase for relevant publications.Results: In total, 70 relevant publications were identified. While the majority of these reported reasons for switching and/or discontinuing treatment, only four provided information explicitly regarding patient-reported experience of switching biologic treatment. All four utilized ranking tools to assess patient experience of switching biologic treatment. The most common reason for switching and/or discontinuing treatment was loss of efficacy, while the least common reason was patient preference.Conclusion: Although the number of available treatments in IA and UC have increased, there is a sparsity of information regarding patient-reported experience of switching biologic treatment. Further research regarding patient preference and/or experience would benefit this therapeutic area and help guide treatment choices.Keywords: arthritis, colitis, ulcerative, biological products, patient reported outcome measures, treatment switch