Axel Svedbom

Treatment patterns with topicals, traditional systemics and biologics in psoriasis - a Swedish database analysis.

Little data exist on real‐world treatment patterns in psoriasis, especially from European settings.

Increased Cause-specific Mortality in Patients with Mild and Severe Psoriasis: A Population-based Swedish Register Study

Several studies have shown excess risk for a number of comorbidities in patients with psoriasis compared with the general population, but data on cause-specific mortality in this patient population are limited. The aim of this study was to estimate the associations of psoriasis and 12 specific causes of death and all-cause mortality in patients with mild and severe psoriasis. The study was based on data from Swedish administrative registers and compared the risk of death in 39,074 patients with psoriasis with 154,775 sex-, age- and residency-matched referents using Cox proportional hazards models. In patients with mild and severe psoriasis, the strongest associations were observed for deaths due to kidney disease (hazard ratio [HR]=2.20, p < 0.01) and liver disease (HR = 4.26, p < 0.001), respectively. Whilst cardiovascular disease was the main driver of excess mortality in absolute terms, the risks for other causes of death were also substantially elevated in patients with psoriasis compared with matched referents.

Sick leave and disability pension before and after diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with considerable morbidity and serious disability, but little is known of the long-term impact of the disease on work ability. Objectives: To assess sick leave (short-term absence) and disability pension (long-term absence) before and after diagnosis of MS. Methods: Patients with MS in Sweden were identified in a nationwide disease-specific register and matched with general population controls. Sick leave and disability pension were measured before and after index (i.e. the MS diagnosis date). Results: The final sample comprised 6092 patients and 60,345 controls (mean age 39 years; 70% female). The mean annual prevalence of sick leave ranged from 12% the first year after index to 23% after 11 years among patients and from 13% to 13% among controls. Corresponding estimates for disability pension were 12% and 55% for patients and 7% and 9% for controls. Significant differences in sick leave were observed up to 15 years before index and 3 years for disability pension. Conclusion: Patients with MS in Sweden have elevated levels of sick leave and disability pension up to 15 years before disease diagnosis. Our results highlight the burden of disease on affected patients and society and underscore the substantial unmet medical need.

Economic burden of psoriasis and potential cost offsets with biologic treatment : A swedish register analysis

Estimates of direct and indirect costs of psoriasis are limited. The aim of this study was to estimate: (i) costs in patients with psoriasis compared with controls; and (ii) impact on costs from initiating biologics. The study extracted data from Swedish administrative registers and compared 31,043 patients with 111,645 sex-, age- and residency-matched referents. Mean direct and indirect costs were estimated as US dollars (USD) 1,365 (62%) and USD 3,319 (50%) higher in patients compared with referents, respectively. The study included 352 patients treated with biologics who had at least 1-year follow-up before and after initiation of biologics. Among the 193 patients persistent with biologics for one year, 1-year costs of biologics were estimated at USD 23,293 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 22,372-24,199). This cost was partially offset, with savings in direct cost estimated to range from USD -1135 (95% CI -2,050 to -328) to USD -4,422 (95% CI -6,552 to -2,771), depending on assumptions. The corresponding estimates for indirect costs savings were from USD -774 (95% CI -2,019-535) to USD -1,875 (95% CI -3,650 to -188). The study suggests that psoriasis is associated with substantial costs, which may be modifiable with treatment.

Persistence with golimumab in immune-mediated rheumatic diseases: a systematic review of real-world evidence in rheumatoid arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis, and psoriatic arthritis

Purpose In immune-mediated rheumatic diseases (IMRDs), persistence to treatment may be used as a surrogate marker for long-term treatment success. In previous comparisons of persistence to tumor necrosis factor α inhibitors (TNFis), a paucity of data for subcutaneous (SC) golimumab was identified. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of persistence to SC golimumab in clinical practice and contextualize these data with five-year persistence estimates from long-term open-label extension (OLE) trials of SC TNFis in IMRDs. Patients and methods PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, and conference proceedings from European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR), American College of Rheumatology (ACR), and International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) were searched. All studies on patients treated with SC golimumab for IMRD were included if they reported data on the persistence to golimumab. Results Of 376 available references identified through the searches, 12 studies with a total of 4,910 patients met the inclusion criteria. Furthermore, nine OLE trials were available. Among the included studies from clinical practice, at six months, one year, two years, and three years, the proportion of patients persistent to treatment ranged from 63% to 91%, 47% to 80%, 40% to 77%, and 32% to 67%, respectively. In the four studies that included comparisons to other biologics, golimumab was either statistically noninferior or statistically superior to other treatments, an observation that was supported by indirect comparisons of unadjusted point estimates of OLE trials. Conclusion The data reviewed in this study indicate that golimumab may have higher persistence than other TNFis, a notion that is supported by indirect comparisons of persistence data from OLEs of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Furthermore, the study suggests that persistence may be lower in biologic-experienced compared with biologic-naive patients and higher in axial spondyloarthritis compared with rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis.

Persistence and costs with subcutaneous TNF-alpha inhibitors in immune-mediated rheumatic disease stratified by treatment line

Objectives The objectives of this study were to 1) describe and compare treatment persistence with first- and second-line subcutaneous tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors (SC-TNFis) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), or rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (collectively immune-mediated rheumatic disease) in Sweden and 2) estimate and contrast health care costs in the two groups. Methods Patients who initiated their first or second SC-TNFi between May 6 2010 and December 12 2012 were identified from the Prescribed Drug Register. Persistence was estimated using survival analysis. Costs comprised specialized outpatient care, inpatient care, and medication. The persistence analysis was stratified by immune-mediated rheumatic disease diagnosis. Results A total of 4,903 patients treated with their first and 845 patients treated with their second SC-TNFi were identified. Baseline characteristics differed between the two groups. Therefore, propensity score matching analysis was implemented. Second-line patients were matched to first-line patients, and four cohort pairs (AS, PsA, RA, and all diagnoses combined) were generated. Patients treated with their first SC-TNFi had statistically significant higher persistence than patients treated with their second SC-TNFi in PsA (P=0.036), RA (P=0.048), and all diagnoses combined (P<0.001) but not in AS (P=0.741). Patients who were treated with their second SC-TNFi incurred higher costs than patients treated with their first SC-TNFi. Conclusion Overall, persistence to the first SC-TNFi was higher than persistence to the second SC-TNFi. Furthermore, the second SC-TNFi was associated with higher costs than the first SC-TNFi. Therefore, prescribing the SC-TNFi with the best long-term persistence first may be beneficial.

Personal Income Before and After Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis

BACKGROUND Multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with serious morbidity and labor force absenteeism, but little is known of the long-term impact of the disease on personal income. OBJECTIVES To assess long-term consequences of MS on personal salary and disposable income. METHODS Patients with MS in Sweden were identified in a nationwide, disease-specific register and matched with general population controls. We assessed mean annual personal gross salary and disposable income each year before and after index (i.e., the MS diagnosis date) using data from national registers. RESULTS The final sample consisted of 5,472 patients and 54,195 controls (mean age 39 years; 70% females). There was no significant difference in gross salary between patients and controls in any year within the pre-index period. In contrast, on average during follow-up post diagnosis, patients with MS had €5,130 less gross salary per year compared with controls, ranging from a loss of €2,430 the first year to €9,010 after 11 years. Within 10 years after index, 45% of patients had at least one record of zero gross salary, compared with 32% for controls. Mean annual disposable income was comparable between patients and controls across follow-up, with significant differences only at years 9 and 10 post-index. CONCLUSIONS We show that many patients with MS in Sweden lose their ability to support for themselves financially but still have a relatively high disposable income because of social transfers. Our findings underscore the detrimental impact of MS on affected patients and the considerable economic burden of disease to society.

The long-term impact of multiple sclerosis on the risk of divorce

BACKGROUND Several studies have investigated the impact of multiple sclerosis (MS) on the risk of divorce. However, current evidence is inconclusive and limited by e.g. small sample populations, short follow-up, and/or lack of a control group. The objective of this retrospective, observational study was to estimate the long-term impact of MS on the risk of divorce. METHODS Swedish patients diagnosed with MS between 1975 and 2012 were identified in a nationwide disease-specific register (the Swedish Multiple Sclerosis Registry) and matched with general population controls based on age, sex, region of residency, and marital status. We used survival analysis to estimate the cumulative incidence proportion of divorce after index (i.e. the MS diagnosis date). RESULTS Our final sample comprised 3998 patients and 15,992 general population controls (mean age 44 years; 73% female). Mean follow-up was 10 years (range: 1-37 years). Unadjusted Kaplan-Meier failure functions revealed no significant differences in the cumulative incidence proportion of divorce between patients and controls (log-rank test, p = 0.902), or women with MS and female controls (p = 0.157). In contrast, men with MS were estimated to have a notably higher incidence of divorce compared with male controls (p = 0.040). Cox proportional-hazards model outcomes showed that men with MS had a 21% higher risk (HR: 1.21, p = 0.032) of divorce across follow-up compared with male controls when controlling for age, region of residency, and year of diagnosis. No significant adjusted risk increase was found for women with MS. CONCLUSIONS We show that MS is associated with an increased risk of divorce among men, but not women. Our result should be helpful to inform health policy and clinical interventions, such as relationship counselling programs, and highlight the socio-economic burden of the disease.

SAT0575 First and Second Line Treatment Persistence among Patients with Immune-Mediated Rheumatoid Disease Treated with Subcutaneous TNF-alpha Inhibitors

Background The treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), collectively referred to as Immune-Mediated Rheumatoid Disease (IMRD), has evolved in recent years with the introduction of subcutaneous TNF-alpha inhibitors (SC-TNFi). Objectives The aims of this study were: i) To assess real-world persistence in SC-TNFi naïve and experienced patients treated with SC-TNFi for IMRD in Sweden; and ii) to estimate and compare health care resource utilization (HCRU) costs in these two patients populations. Methods This study was a retrospective, observational register analysis of treatment patterns and costs based on anonymized patient-level data extracted from Swedish national health data registers. Patients (≥18 years old) were identified through filled prescriptions for adalimumab, etanercept, certolizumab pegol, and golimumab between 5/6/2010 and 12/31/2012 from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register. Information on prescriber specialty and department was used to exclude patients initiating treatment with SC-TNFi for diseases other than IMRD. Patients were excluded if they filled at least one prescription from a department other than rheumatology, orthopedics or rehabilitation and if the prescription was issued by a non-rheumatologist. The included patients were classified by diagnosis as AS, PsA, RA, “other arthritis”, or “unknown”. To enhance comparability, propensity score matching (PSM) was implemented. Patients were matched based on age, gender, index year, diagnosis, therapy, Charlson Comorbidity Index, and non-biologic DMARD use. Persistence was estimated using non-parametric survival analysis. Health care resource utilization (HCRU) was captured 12 months after treatment initiation and comprised specialized outpatient care, inpatient care, and non-DMARD medication. Results A total of 5,748 patients were identified (treatment naïve – 1st line: 4,903, treatment experienced – 2nd line: 845). A successfully balanced PSM cohort was generated with 839 matched pairs. Comparisons over the study period showed that patients initiating their first line of treatment had significantly higher persistence than patients initiating their second line of treatment with SC-TNFis (p<0.001). HCRU was evaluated for a subset of 393 matched pairs, where both patients were persistent for at least six months. In the twelve months post treatment initiation, patients on first line therapy incurred lower mean total costs than patients on second line therapy (USD 3,206 vs. 4,540, p<0.001). Conclusions SC-TNFi-naïve IMRD patients initiating treatment had significantly higher persistence rates than patients initiating a second line of treatment with SC-TNFis in Sweden. In addition these patients also incurred significantly lower mean total HCRU costs twelve months post treatment initiation. These results indicate that it may be advisable to prescribe the SC-TNFi which has demonstrated best long-term persistence as first line SC-TNFi. It appears especially important for indications which have fewer choices of approved biologics. Disclosure of Interest J. Dalen Consultant for: Merck, A. Svedbom Consultant for: Merck, C. Black Employee of: Merck, S. Kachroo Employee of: Merck