Unintentional Monotherapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Receiving Tofacitinib and Drug Survival Rate of Tofacitinib.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the rate of unintentional monotherapy (UM; switching to monotherapy from combination therapy of patients' own volition) in rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving tofacitinib and to evaluate tofacitinib survival rate. METHODS: This national, multicenter study included patients' data from the TURKBIO Registry. Demographics, clinical characteristics, disease duration and activity, comorbidities, and treatments were analyzed. RESULTS: Data of 231 rheumatoid arthritis patients (84.8% female, median age, 56 years) were included; 153 were initially prescribed combination therapy and continued to their therapies; 31 were initially prescribed combination therapy but switched to monotherapy on their own volition (UM); 21 were initially prescribed monotherapy and switched to combination therapy; 26 were initially prescribed monotherapy and continued to their therapies. The rate of comorbidities at the time of data retrieval was higher in the UM group than in the combination group (83.3% vs. 60.3%, p = 0.031). Presence of comorbidities was a significant factor affecting switching to monotherapy ( p = 0.039; odds ratio, 3.29; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-10.18). The combination and UM groups did not differ regarding remission rate assessed by Disease Activity Score 28-joint count C-reactive protein (60.5% and 70%, respectively; p = 0.328). Drug survival rates of the UM and combination groups did not differ. The median drug survival duration of tofacitinib was 27+ months with 1- and 4-year drug survival rates of 89.6% and 60.2%, respectively, in the UM group. CONCLUSIONS: Although 13.4% of the study population started monotherapy unintentionally, drug survival and remission rates of the UM and combination groups were not different. Comorbidity was a factor affecting transition from combination therapy to monotherapy.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use is determined by disease activity in axSpA and decreased by biologicals: a longitudinal analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use and Assessment in Spondyloarthritis International Society (ASAS)-NSAID scores in patients with axial spondyloarhritis (axSpA) in a longitudinal study. METHODS: In total, 429 patients with axSpA (59% male; 63.6% with AS) were included in this study. Data about disease activity, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, and NSAID use and dosage were collected at 0, 12, 24, and 52 weeks retrospectively. The relationship with NSAID use /ASAS-NSAID scores and other factors were tested using generalized estimating equations (GEE). RESULTS: At baseline (0 weeks), 92.8% of patients in biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) group and 82.1% of patients in conventional treatment group were treated with NSAIDs. At baseline, the proportion (p=0.03) and the median (IQR) ASAS-NSAID scores were higher in bDMARDs group [100 (50) vs 50 (83.4); p<0.001]. During follow-up, NSAID use and ASAS-NSAID scores decreased significantly in patients treated with bDMARDs (p<0.001) and the reduction remained stable throughout the follow-up However, neither NSAID use (p=0.06) nor ASAS-NSAID scores changed in conventional treatment group (p=0.15). In bDMARD-treated patients, ASDAS-CRP and BASFI scores were independent determinants for NSAID use, and BASDAI and PGA were determinants for NSAID dosage. There was no independent significant predictor for ASAS-NSAID scores; PGA was the only significant predictor for NSAID use in the conventional treatment group. CONCLUSION: Concurrent biologic treatment was associated with low NSAID intake in patients with axSpA, and NSAID use was determined mainly by disease activity and partly by function during bDMARD treatment.