RESEARCH - Switching TNF antagonists: an observational study of 488 patients over a four-year period

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Arthritis Research & Therapy

Published 6 January 2006

" Switching TNF antagonists in patients with chronic arthritis: an

observational study of 488 patients over a four-year period " :

Excerpt:

" In RA, evidence based on clinical trials suggests that these three drugs

are equally effective, though they have distinct structural,

pharmacokinetic, and pharmacological properties [10], and differences in

their modes of action [11]. Comparable effectiveness has also been found in

clinical settings [12]. Nevertheless, a proportion of patients do not

benefit from treatment with a certain TNF antagonist, and thus the use of a

second antagonist when the first has failed is advocated based on a few

clinical reports of small numbers of patients [13-16]. For the other forms

of chronic arthritis, this information is still lacking; whether a second

TNF antagonist would be effective is a relevant clinical question.

In February 2000, the Spanish Society of Rheumatology (SER) launched a

registry (Base de Datos de Productos Biológicos de la Sociedad Española de

Reumatología (BIOBADASER)) for patients with rheumatic conditions treated

with biologics, including TNF antagonists. Over the last four and half

years, 4,706 patients from 95 hospitals have been included in this registry

and have been actively followed. Although the emphasis of the registry is

drug safety, information on discontinuation of TNF antagonists for any cause

is gathered as well. In the present study, we analyze the drug survival

rates of TNF antagonists, as a surrogate for their effectiveness, in 488

patients with rheumatic diseases who had switched from one TNF antagonist to

another. "

http://arthritis-research.com/content/8/1/R29

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Mayo Clinic in Rochester

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s Hopkins Medicine

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