Trends in Psoriatic Arthritis Treatment 2004-2015 Save

Lee and colleagues from Brigham and Women's Hospital have analyzed the last decade of disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) use in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and found nearly 40% were treated with a bDMARD, along with a decreasing trend in complete DMARD discontinuations.

Data claims were derived from a large US commercial health plan, and identified PsA patients initiating DMARD therapy and changes in the DMARD regimen over the next 12‐month period.

Among the 9,222 PsA patients who initiated DMARD therapy, 57% started with a conventional synthetic DMARDs [csDMARDs] and 43% began with a biologic DMARD [bDMARD].

Those starting on bDMARDs tended to be younger (48 yrs vs 52 yrs) and had fewer comorbidities.

Methotrexate was the most frequently used csDMARD (80.6%) and etanercept (49.1%) was the most commonly prescribed bDMARD, followed by adalimumab (34.4%).

In the first 12‐months 20.1% of bDMARD initiators and 31.1% of csDMARD initiators had a change in their DMARD regimen.

Very few patients (5.3%) totally discontinued therapy, but the rates of discontinuation decreased over time (P < 0.001).

These data suggest that  the majority of PsA patients initiating DMARD therapy will remain on DMARD therapy for many years.