Comparing biologic persistence and healthcare costs in rheumatoid arthritis patients initiating subcutaneous biologics.

AIM: Comparing biologic persistence and healthcare costs between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients initiating first- or second-line subcutaneous abatacept, adalimumab, or etanercept.

MATERIALS & METHODS: Retrospective, observational cohort study, which included adults with RA who initiated either of the three treatments between 29 July 2011 and 1 July 2015. Total healthcare costs were measured during baseline and follow-up. Biologic persistence was compared using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression.

RESULTS: Subcutaneous abatacept-treated patients had numerically lowest adjusted hazards of nonpersistence and increase from baseline in total healthcare costs. Sensitivity analyses measuring outcomes over an alternative follow-up definition produced consistent results.

CONCLUSION: Abatacept-treated RA patients appeared to have the poorest health status yet often had the lowest increase from baseline in healthcare costs and longest duration of biologic persistence.