Comparison of Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment Patterns Pre-, During, and Post-COVID-19 Quarantine in the United States: National Data From the TriNetX Network

Author(s)

Brauneis J1, Lourdudoss C2, Madaj K3, Vossen C4
1Syneos Health, Barcelona, B, Spain, 2Syneos Health, Stockholm, Sweden, 3Syneos Health, Morrisville, NC, USA, 4Syneos Health, Amsterdam, NH, Netherlands

Presentation Documents

OBJECTIVES: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients has been previously explored however information on its impact on RA treatment patterns is limited. This study aimed to compare RA treatment patterns before, during, and after COVID-19 in patients located in the United States (US) utilizing the TriNetX network.

METHODS: US RA patients were queried from the TriNetX network and separated into four time period groups: 1. Pre-quarantine (PQ): 01Mar2019–01Nov2019; 2. Quarantine (Q): 01Mar2020–01Nov2020; 3. Post-quarantine (POQ) 01Mar2021–01Nov2021; 4. Post-COVID-19 (PC): 01Mar2023-01Nov2023. Eligible patients with an ICD-10 diagnosis code of RA (with or without the rheumatoid factor) were identified (on 19Jun2024) and analyzed separately. Treatments were separated based on the mode of administration (i.e., oral conventional drugs vs. subcutaneous biologics).

RESULTS: We identified 154,160 (PQ), 143,440 (Q), 157,900 (POQ), and 156,360 (PC) patients with RA. The mean age of RA patients ranged from 64-67 years and the majority were female (72-73%). Conventional (n=7) and biologic (n=8) drugs reviewed found that the use was hardly affected by COVID-19. For the two most used conventional drugs, utilization for methotrexate was 37% during PQ, 37% during Q, 36% during POQ, and 34% PC, and for hydroxychloroquine 31% during PQ, 32% during Q, 32% during POQ, and 30% PC. For the two most used biological drugs, utilization for adalimumab was 14% during PQ, 14% during Q, 14% during POQ, and 13% PC, and for etanercept 12% during PQ, 12% during Q, 11% during POQ, and 10% PC.

CONCLUSIONS: We found that use of conventional and biologic drugs for RA were hardly affected by COVID-19 when assessing patient treatment patterns in secondary data sources. Potential biases associated with the reduction in available patients during Q compared to PQ, POQ, and PC requires attention in future studies.

Conference/Value in Health Info

2024-11, ISPOR Europe 2024, Barcelona, Spain

Value in Health, Volume 27, Issue 12, S2 (December 2024)

Code

SA84

Topic

Study Approaches

Topic Subcategory

Electronic Medical & Health Records

Disease

No Additional Disease & Conditions/Specialized Treatment Areas, Systemic Disorders/Conditions (Anesthesia, Auto-Immune Disorders (n.e.c.), Hematological Disorders (non-oncologic), Pain)

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