Patient preferences for atopic dermatitis medications in the UK, France and Spain: a discrete choice experiment.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to quantify patient preferences for efficacy, safety and convenience features of atopic dermatitis (AD) treatments. DESIGN AND SETTING: Online discrete choice experiment survey. PARTICIPANTS: Adults in the UK, France and Spain who had used AD treatments during the past 2 years. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Preferences for attributes were analysed using a multinomial logit model. Willingness to make trade-offs was expressed as the maximum acceptable decrease (MAD) in the probability of achieving clear/almost clear skin at week 16. RESULTS: The survey was completed by 404 patients (44.1±12.0 years; 65% women; 64% moderate/severe eczema). Most patients (68%) had no prior experience of using self-injectable treatments for AD or any other illness. Participants most valued increasing the chance of achieving a meaningful reduction in itch at week 16 from 20% to 50%, followed by reducing the risks of serious infections from 6% to 0% and of eye inflammation from 20% to 0%. Participants were willing to accept a decrease in the possibility of achieving clear/almost clear skin to obtain a treatment that can be paused (MAD=24.1%), requires occasional check-ups (MAD=16.1%) or no check-ups (MAD=20.9%) over frequent check-ups, is administered as a one time per day or two times per day oral pill versus a subcutaneous injection every 2 weeks (MAD=16.6%), has a 2-day over 2-week onset of action (MAD=11.3%), and can be used for flare management (MAD=5.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Although patients with AD most valued treatment benefits and risks, they were willing to tolerate reduced efficacy to obtain a rapid onset, oral administration, less frequent monitoring and a treatment that can be paused. Understanding patients' preferences for AD therapies, including new targeted therapies, can aid shared decision-making between clinicians and patients and support health technology assessments.

Indirect Treatment Comparison of Baricitinib versus Dupilumab in Adults with Moderate-to-Severe Atopic Dermatitis.

INTRODUCTION: Indirect treatment comparison was used to compare approved doses of baricitinib and dupilumab for treating adult patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) who are candidates for systemic therapy. METHODS: Baricitinib and dupilumab were compared (Bucher method) at weeks 4 and 16. Performance in combination with topical corticosteroids (TCS) was analyzed in patients with inadequate response or inadvisable to topical therapies (population A) and cyclosporine (population B). Population A was additionally examined as monotherapy. RESULTS: For the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) 75, baricitinib and dupilumab were similar. A ≥ 4-point improvement in itch numerical rating scale (NRS) was significantly more likely with baricitinib 4 mg than dupilumab in population A as monotherapy (RR = 2.62, 95% CI 1.22, 5.61, p = 0.013) and in TCS combination at week 4. These differences were not significant by week 16. For the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), baricitinib 4 mg and dupilumab were similar on mean difference in change from baseline (MDcfb), though some differences were seen between baricitinib 2 mg and dupilumab at week 16 for the population A monotherapy (MDcfb = 2.05, 95% CI 0.53, 3.56, p = 0.016) and TCS combination therapy (MDcfb = 2.48, 95% CI 0.46, 4.50, p = 0.016) groups, and in population B (MDcfb = 3.38 95% CI 1.18, 5.58, p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Baricitinib potentially offers more rapid improvement in itch while providing similar efficacy on EASI75 and DLQI outcomes compared with dupilumab.

The impact of disease severity and duration on cost, early retirement and ability to work in rheumatoid arthritis in Europe: an economic modelling study.

OBJECTIVE: RA is a progressive, chronic autoimmune disease. We summarize the impact of disease activity as measured by the DAS in 28 joints (DAS28-CRP scores) and pain on productivity and ability to work using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire (WPAI) scores, in addition to the impact of disease duration on the ability to work. METHODS: Data were drawn from the Burden of RA across Europe: a Socioeconomic Survey (BRASS), a European cross-sectional study in RA. Analyses explored associations between DAS28-CRP score and disease duration with stopping work because of RA, and regression analyses assessed impacts of pain and DAS28-CRP on early retirement and WPAI. RESULTS: Four hundred and seventy-six RA specialist clinicians provided information on 4079 adults with RA, of whom 2087 completed the patient survey. Severe disease activity was associated with higher rates of stopping work or early retirement attributable to RA (21%) vs moderate/mild disease (7%) or remission (8%). Work impairment was higher in severe (67%) or moderate RA (45%) compared with low disease activity [LDA (37%)] or remission (28%). Moreover, patients with severe (60%) or moderate pain (48%) experienced increased work impairment [mild (34%) or no pain (19%)]. Moderate to severe pain is significant in patients with LDA (35%) or remission (22%). A statistically significant association was found between severity, duration and pain vs work impairment, and between disease duration vs early retirement. CONCLUSION: Results demonstrate the high burden of RA. Furthermore, subjective domains, such as pain, could be as important as objective measures of RA activity in affecting the ability to work.

Influence of route of administration/drug formulation and other factors on adherence to treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (pain related) and dyslipidemia (non-pain related).

OBJECTIVES: A comprehensive review was performed to investigate the effect of route of administration on medication adherence and persistence in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to compare adherence/persistence with oral medications between RA and a non-painful disease (dyslipidemia). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Comprehensive database searches were performed to identify studies investigating medication adherence and/or persistence in adults with RA receiving conventional synthetic or biologic agents. Similar searches were performed for studies of patients with dyslipidemia receiving statins. Studies had to be published after 1998 in English and involve ≥6 months' follow up. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Adherence and persistence were compared between the different routes of drug administration in RA, and between the two diseases for oral medications. RESULTS: A total of 35 and 28 papers underwent data extraction for RA and dyslipidemia, respectively. Within the constraints of the analysis, adherence and persistence rates appeared broadly similar for the different routes of drug administration in RA. Adherence to oral medications was also broadly similar across the two diseases, but persistence was lower in dyslipidemia. Poor adherence has clinical consequences in both diseases: greater disease activity and risk of flare in RA, and increased serum cholesterol levels and risk of heart and cerebrovascular disease in dyslipidemia. Over 1-3 years, poor adherence to biologic RA medications led to increased resource use and medical costs but lower total direct costs due to reduced biologic drug costs. Conversely, poor adherence to dyslipidemia medications resulted in increased total direct costs. In both diseases, adherence improved with patient education/support. CONCLUSIONS: The route of drug administration and the symptomatic (pain) nature of the disease do not appear to be dominant factors for drug adherence or persistence in RA. LIMITATION: The wide range of adherence and persistence values and definitions across studies made comparisons between drug formulations and diseases difficult.