Long-term effectiveness and safety of infliximab and golimumab in ankylosing spondylitis patients from a Canadian prospective observational registry

Abstract Background The objectives of this study were to describe the profile of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients treated with either infliximab (IFX) or subcutaneous golimumab (GLM) treatment in Canadian routine care setting along with assessing long-term effectiveness and safety. Methods AS patients who were eligible for treatment with IFX or subcutaneous GLM as per their respective Canadian product monographs were enrolled into the BioTRAC registry from 2005 to 2017. The study visits occurred at baseline and every 6 months thereafter. Effectiveness was assessed by changes in clinical outcomes and acute phase reactants. Safety was evaluated by assessing the incidence of adverse events (AEs) and drug survival rates. Results A total of 389 IFX- and 421 GLM-treated patients were enrolled. A significant decrease in disease duration at baseline was observed in the IFX cohort, from a median of 8.0 in 2005–2008 to 1.0 years in 2009–2015 (p